


Darkest Fire

by Mizuki99



Series: Darkest Encounters [1]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Action/Adventure, Multi, Sexual Content, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-02
Updated: 2014-02-02
Packaged: 2018-01-11 00:01:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 23
Words: 79,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1166191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mizuki99/pseuds/Mizuki99
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Time changes people and Sawada Tsunayoshi is no exception. Seventeen years of age, Tsuna goes out for a walk after a heated argument with Reborn... only he never reaches his destination. Bagged and gagged, Tsuna finds himself in enemy territory. Now he has to find his way back to Japan without letting his hunters know that he's Vongola Decimo. Semi-AU. [COMPLETE!]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note_** : It's been a while since I've posted anything that could potentially be considered a story and this one isn't really planned out so expect anything. This is a high-action, high-speed story. Semi-AU but still relates to the Canon timeline. This takes place four years after Reborn's arrival at the Sawada household so Tsuna is seventeen and a bit of a wild-child.

Tsuna is a bit OOC but also remember, a lot of stuff has happened.

 ** _Summary_** : Time changes people and Sawada Tsunayoshi is no exception. Seventeen years of age, Tsuna goes out for a walk after a heated argument with Reborn... only he never reaches his destination. Bagged and gagged, Tsuna finds himself in enemy territory. Now he has to find his way back to Japan without letting his hunters knew that he's Vongola Decimo. Semi-AU.

 _ **Warning**_ : There will be graphic depictions of violence, dark themes and yaoi later on.

 _ **Main Pairings**_ :X27R/R27X [Destructive Love Triangle, hm?] and many others. Expect anything.

_**CHAPTER UPDATED 11/20/13** _

* * *

Picking a lock was easy for a hitman who had lived for at least half a century so it was pointless to think that, for whatever the reason, the lock would keep him out. Maybe if his no-good student knew that, he wouldn't have bothered locking his door after his late night shower the night before. Stepping silently into the room, he signaled for Leon to transform as he slinked closer to the bed.

Reborn felt his lips curl into a feral smirk as he raised a hammer above Tsuna's sleeping form, about ready to wake his slumbering student for an early morning jog when cold realization dawned down on him. _Hard_.

His sleeping student, who was clad in only a towel that seemed to have opened somewhat during his slumber, was left mostly bare to Reborn's range of sight. The thin but shapely cream-colored legs of his student were visible to all due to the length of the towel and since it was only wrapped around his hips, having moved sometime during the night, he got a clear view of Tsuna's lithe body.

Tsuna looked nothing like the Japanese teenager that Reborn had come four years previously to train—save for maybe his physique. His eyes were wide and expressive but not almond shaped like most Japanese had and his thick lashes framed his warm brown eyes and casted shadows along his high cheek bones, still hidden away from years of baby fat that had yet to melt away, and soft curve of a jaw. His throat wasn't terribly pronounced but Reborn felt his mouth watering at the opportunity to mark all of that scarred-but-flawless skin nonetheless.

In the years that had passed, Tsuna had grown out his hair so that the back of it had a tail but the rest of it remained as fluffy as ever, layered and cropped so that he didn't have to manage it much. The longer silken locks fanned out as his face scrunched together, almost pouting with childish discontent. His upper body was sprinkled with moisture and still dripping from his shower earlier that morning. His hair was stringy and the caramel brown locks contrasted against his cream skin as they clung to him.

His chest was lean, lithe but toned well with catlike muscles that allowed him to maneuver in mid air, and peppered with little scars that told of bloody battles and betrayal. His stomach was flat with a slight outline of muscle but not enough to be called ripped. His perky buds were slightly darker than the rest of his skin tone and hard from the air molesting his skin.

A common trait for anyone that wields Dying Will Flames was a lack of body hair in some places—arms, legs, thighs and chest being those selective places. The high density heat also saved the teenagers that wielded them from trivial things like acne because the bacteria that created the horrid mars couldn't grow. It was also the reason why most people in the underground didn't catch the normal grade diseases and illnesses that existed.

Reborn could see now the Vongola blood that coursed through Tsuna's veins.

Through Reborn's eyes, Tsuna's naïve, nude form all but screamed ' _fuck me **hard** , fuck me **now**_ ' and oh Vongola, how he wanted to. Tsuna was seducing him without even realizing it. The towel, if Tsuna just moved his legs just a little bit, Reborn would get a clear chance to see just how developed Tsuna really was.

That thought made his mouth water.

Ignoring the tightness growing in his slacks, Reborn regained his composure and let the hammer collide with his student's head. Tsuna let out a shriek—his voice cracking about half-way through as it had been doing for the past two and a half months—before hastily wrapping his sheet around him and shoving Reborn out and desperately slamming the door. Reborn's laughter vibrated through him as he strolled down the stairs. ' _Well… my work is done._ ' He thought.

On the other side of the wooden barrier, Tsuna blushed heavily, mouth agape, as he thought about what just happened.

Reborn had just seen him as bare as the day he was born. Oh God, Reborn had just seen him _naked_. Didn't he lock the door?! How the hell did the hitman even get in?

Tsuna groaned. Today was going to be a _wonderful_ day.

* * *

Tsuna was _fuming_ as he took angry, confident strides through the darkened alley-ways. How could he? How _could_ he?! That Reborn… Tsuna ticked angrily, raking a hand violently through his locks and forcing them to stand up even more than they already were. ' _That man… what's up with him lately?!_' Tsuna thought as he stopped long enough to kick the brick wall.

That was when it happened.

A small silenced bullet that cracked past him, seemingly materializing out of nowhere, and struck the scum-coated brick. He felt his cheek sting as tiny bits of the shattered clay burst from the impact. Every muscle in his body ceased as his instincts kicked in. He could quite literally hear his tutor snarling lessons into his ear as he ducked into a crouch, dodging the next onslaught of bullets.

' _You know, Reborn,_ ' Tsuna thought wryly as he bolted to his left by propelling himself to the side and twisting just in time to see a flash of silver. ' _I blame you for this._ ' Taking one long step, he dropped to the right shoulder and rolled just as a hunter's knife embedded itself into the cement beside him. Steadying his breathing, he shoved violently away from the ground and spun so that his back was against the brick wall. A bullet flew past him and clanged on the trash bin at the end of the alley-way.

Deciding not to stay in closed quarters Tsuna propelled himself forward into a rapid sprint, the pads of his feet tapping against the ground. This alley broke off into three others, two of which leading to dead ends and the third leading to the Kokuyo district. Across from the branching alley-way was the back-door entrance to the apartment complex that Ken, Chikusa and Chrome were staying at.

Tsuna had never been so thankful that Kokuyo Land had been set up for demolition before.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi…" A deep throaty voice rasped from behind him and he froze, jerking to a stop out of reflex alone. Tsuna lashed out with his foot, aiming to kick the assassin in the face but ended up only meeting empty air instead.

' _Fucking illusionists…_ ' Tsuna thought as the humidity that was often associated with illusionists faded and it was revealed that he had turned down a dead end. Tsuna's eyes scanned the alley-way, looking for signs of escape as his Vongola Blood kicked in. He could feel his extra-sensory ability prickling at the back of his mind and it took all of his self restraint to keep from tapping into it. As helpful as it was in most situations, it would do no good to use it here.

Tsuna remained quiet as his mind raced to form a plan. The man stepped closer, his gloved hand grabbing his face and turning it to the side, probably looking for love-marks on his throat. One of Reborn's more embarrassing lessons came to mind—" _Assassins that easily fall to seduction will look over your neck and shoulders for bite marks. If they intend on letting you live and keeping them for yourself, they'll mark you right on the spot. Keep in mind, though, if that assassin marks you, you might as well be signing a contract with Mukuro because they have every intention of breaking you and selling you on the market as a sex slave._ "—and Tsuna tensed.

Just as the man leaned in, most likely to inhale his scent, Tsuna ignited his flame on his bare hand, well aware of the risk it presented, and pressed his palm against the guy's stomach, the flesh melting away. He screamed out in pain and whatever remaining illusion this guy had cast vanished. Retracting his hand, Tsuna lunged passed him and bolted for the alley-way across from there.

' _Shit, shit, shit, shit. My rings and gloves are in the bag and this guy won't give me a chance to grab them._ ' Tsuna thought as he pushed himself to move faster. ' _What do I do?_ '

Short on ideas but long on desperation, Tsuna dived for a crack between two buildings that weren't even big enough to house a trash-bin. Rough concrete scrapped against his skin but he ignored it. The man's blood dripped from his fingers and he wrinkled his black hoodie to get the thick, warm liquid off of his hands. He'd have to scrub it later.

' _If there is a later._ ' A snide voice seethed condescendingly and Tsuna resisted the urge to wince. Like hell he was going to die here. He still had a bone to pick with that cocky bastard of a tutor and he wasn't going to die until he made his point.

Feet and ragged breathing where the only sounds Tsuna heard. He didn't even breathe himself and his heart-beat thudded unevenly in his chest. He watched from the shadow of his hiding place as the man walked passed him. His presence was smothered so he wasn't seen. He closed his eyes to hide the glow of his amber orbs and watched through the veil of his charcoal lashes. The man passed but Tsuna waited until he couldn't sense him before he exited his hiding place.

He was far from being in the clear, however.

Immediately upon leaving the enshrouded place, Tsuna heard the shrill scream of a woman quickly followed by desperate pleading and begging. ' _Damn me and my compassion…_ ' Tsuna thought sarcastically before he followed the sound. He knew rape happened in big cities like this and since there were no cops in place, Tsuna decided to take matters into his own hands. He could always deal with the recoil later.

Too bad impulsive actions were generally what led to his downfall.

He should have known that that assassin would have a backup plan. Spinning around, Tsuna's leg lashed out and collided with the illusionist's head and sent him flying back, his blood smearing on the filthy, garbage-coated ground of the alley-way maze. Tsuna looked down at the assassin and sighed, "You know, I was hoping for a better fight…"

"And I was hoping for a quick payday." The man sneered. "Too bad there's nothing _quick_ about this job. Sarada!"

"What?" Tsuna hissed, spinning around just in time to feel the butt of a gun collide with his temple.

"Hello, Vongola Decimo…" A green eyed, dark haired beauty smiled down at him with cruelty lining every curve on her beautiful creatures. A leg collided with his knees but Tsuna refused to submit to them. Their Wills were taint with malicious intent and he would never submit to that. The woman, Sarada, grabbed a fist full of Tsuna's hair and forced his throat to bare. "Demetrius… do you have the collar?" She asked. The man, Demetrius, grunted and handed her a leather strap. "Now be a good boy and hold still."

The collar was leather and looked like any other dog collar—with the loop for the leash and everything—but on the inside of it, there was wiring and two vials of blue and violent liquid. It also had a lock that secured it. Tsunayoshi knew he wanted nothing to do with that collar.

"Like fuck I'll do that!" Tsuna hissed, trying to twist from her grip but she was _strong_ for a woman. Or maybe the toxin was making him weak? It didn't matter what was going on. All that mattered was trying to escape. His eyes slid past Demetrius and to the bag that had fallen in their squabble but before he could even think of trying to lunge for it, the man had kicked it away.

"We'll leave that for your guardians to find, love." Sarada said in a sickly sweet tone. "Now, like I said. Be a good boy and hold. Still." The needle slid into his flesh making him cry out at the pinching sensation. He could feel a drop of the toxin slipping into his body and taking immediate effect—whatever it was. His instincts kicked in though, and his flame flared to life…

…only never to meet the surface.

' _Wh-What?_ ' Tsuna thought hazily as he slumped to the ground, completely and utterly drained of energy.

The collar must have had some sort of Dying Will Flame suppressant that prevented the energy from materializing… meaning he could heat up his flesh to burning levels but he couldn't use his flame at all. But that also meant that they wouldn't be able to use his Element either.

' _D-Damn it…_ ' Tsuna thought before all faded to black.

* * *

Reborn sighed as he looked at the door that Tsuna had just stormed out of. That… could have gone a lot better than it did. Tsuna had taken the time to prepare a small meal for the two of them and had even opened a bottle of Reborn's favorite wine before he approached a subject that had been off limits since Mukuro's attack on them almost three and a half years ago.

"—

_Tsuna had breathed deeply through his nose, the air hissing as it left his body. He didn't have the time to doddle around. He had to be straight with Reborn. He had even waited until the hitman was pleasantly buzzed with his favorite wine. "Reborn…" Tsuna began, pouring him another glass and then proceeding to get up and put the dishes away._

_His mother was at the store and had taken the children with her, Bianchi was at her apartment and the rest of the rowdy bunch—sans for a few exceptions—were probably at Hayato's blowing off some of this week's steam. This was the perfect opportunity. "I wanted to talk to you about… Mukuro." His silvery-black eyes narrowed as they opened and zoomed in on Tsuna with some sort of hyper-awareness—however glazed they were before, it instantly vanished. Since he hadn't been hit, Tsuna took that as his cue to continue. "I want to release Mukuro from Vendicare."_

_"Next subject," Reborn's baritone lull was sharp as it slashed through the air. Tsuna scrubbed the plate with a little more force than necessary but held his ground._

_"He's changed you know," Tsuna said softly, his long fingers scrubbing away the sauce from their late dinner. The air was still but Tsuna knew he was facing a viper that was all too willing to turn his fangs against him. Maybe that was the problem. "He's not the same anymore, Reborn. Being locked away from any and all human interaction… it's too cruel, too barbaric. Vendice is everything I despise and for one of my own to be locked—" Tsuna cut off when Reborn's hand collided with the cupboard beside his head, almost breaking it._

_"He is not one of yours." Reborn growled menacingly. "He is a criminal and deserves to be where he is."_

_"Reborn!" Tsuna spun around, eyes flaring. "You of all people should know what it's like to be trapped in your own body! The pain, the isolation of it all… he's been captured enough. Let me set my Mist free!"_

_"You'll be doing it even if I say no." Reborn cut in, eyes narrowing into slits and making Tsuna flinch at how easily the hitman read him. "Then it seems I've given you too much freedom."_

_"Are—are you grounding me?!" Tsuna demanded in what was supposed to be a menacing tone if it weren't for the fact that his voice broke half-way through. "I'm not a child, Reborn and Mukuro is not a criminal."_

_"He slaughtered Estraneo single handedly and mercilessly." Reborn said with narrowed eyes._

_"They experimented on him from birth!" Tsuna countered. "They were the merciless ones!"_

_"He possessed your friends."_

_"And they've forgiven him for it."_

_"I haven't." Reborn declared. "Tsuna, anyone involved with Mukuro is dangerous. That includes that girl, understand? I don't want you around them." Tsuna looked away and Reborn's eyes flashed. "You haven't been around them, have you?" His voice was low, threatening, laced with malicious intent._

_"They've changed, Reborn." Tsuna repeated, not meeting his gaze._

_"Tsuna, I don't trust him."_

_"I do… and you trust me, don't you?" Tsuna asked, turning around to face the hitman who was pointedly looking anywhere but where he was. "Don't you?" He pressed. "It doesn't matter. Mukuro is my Manipulating Mist and you can do nothing to change that." Tsuna turned back to doing those dishes._

_"I can strip him of his status as a Vongola Guardian." Reborn said sharply and Tsuna lost his hold on the plate he was cleaning._

_"You will do no such thing." Tsuna said levelly, eyes flashing sunset and narrowing dangerously._

_"I was chosen to tutor you. That means if I find someone more suitable for the position than who Iemitsu supplied, I can change that." Reborn said, standing his ground. Tsuna suddenly felt very small in comparison to this adult Arcobaleno but refused to let the height difference intimidate him._

_"Just try it. You can be the reason the Ninth has to name someone else his heir. I'd like to see what happens to the almighty Number One Hitman when he has the wrath of the entire Vongola on his head." Tsuna countered, picking up the shards._

_"I've had hundreds of curses spit at me by the lives I've taken. That hardly bothers me." Reborn replied haughtily. Tsuna sighed softly. "I don't want Rokudo Mukuro outside of his cage. Rokudo Mukuro will not be released and that's final." Reborn cut, sounding very much like a scolding father._

_"Don't treat me like a child!" Tsuna snapped, spinning around and glaring at Reborn, dropping the shards of porcelain. "And he **will** be released. **You** have no say on the matter. **Is** that not clear enough for you?"_

_Before Tsuna could blink, he was being forced onto the floor, a leather shoe on the side of his head. The shards of the plate he had dropped in his anger were digging into his chest, almost cutting him. "You will not use that tone with me again." Reborn said calmly, ordering, demanding._

_"Release me," Tsuna ordered, his eyes flaring to life and his Will unbending. "I said **LET ME GO!** " Tsuna forced Reborn away, pushing up off the floor. Without thinking, Tsuna launched forward and his hand lashed against Reborn's cheek. "Mukuro is **mine**. **You** have no say in who I claim as **mine** until the day I submit to you and I will **never** submit to an **insensitive** , **thick-skulled KILLER** as long as he is incapable of compassion!"_

_Tsuna strode past Reborn, stepping up the hallway and throwing some clothes into a duffle back. "Where do you think you're going?" Reborn demanded, eyes flaring and killer intent practically radiating off of him. It was clear that he was not finished saying what he had to say._

_"To Hayato's!" He called back before slamming the door shut._

_But Tsuna was._

—"

Reborn had given his student all of five minutes before he stalked out after him. Unfortunately he underestimated Tsuna's speed when he was angry because when he got to the alley-way they took as a shortcut to Kokuyo's housing district—since Reborn was far from stupid and he knew that Tsuna wouldn't head to Hayato's no matter what he said—Tsuna had already entered.

Reborn sighed through his nose and strode down the alley-way and was immediately assaulted by the coppery tang of blood. Instincts kicking, he reached up for Leon who transformed immediately and pressed his back against the wall. He took aim and scanned the shadows with sharpened senses and immediately he took sight of a hunched over body.

' _Not Tsuna. Probably freelance. Kill shot could be any of three… one to the diaphragm, one to the right lung and one to the heart._ ' Reborn's thought recorded. ' _Too messy for Tsuna… the signature matches Mochizuki Sarada._ ' He thought, with a frown. About eight feet from where the body was, there was a black shoulder bag that Tsuna often used to carry his weapons. With a sinking sense of foreboding, Reborn walked over to the bag and lifted the flap.

It was a cold, hard revelation that knocked all of the wind out of him to know that, wherever Tsuna was, he was weaponless.

' _Tsuna… where are you?_ ' Reborn thought, looking up at the full moon with worry.

* * *

"Alright… for this part of the auction, we move on to the more… attractive… prizes." The auctioneer said, wagging his eyebrows provocatively. "For the first quarter, we have a half-Japanese, half-Italian male… he appears to be thirteen but don't be surprised if he's actually older. It's also worth to note his slender frame and feminine appearance."

The audience laughs but within the cage, the hardly-lucid teen sighs. Sawada Tsunayoshi really hated his life.

"He's believed to be a virgin for both the front and back. You may confirm that once he has been put into your grasp. He has a few scars but that adds to his character. So…" Had Tsuna not been as weak as he was, he would have blushed. "We'll start the bidding at sixty million," The auctioneer continued.

"Seventy!" A woman shouted.

"Seventy-five!" A man with a grouchy voice.

"Ninety!" An okama—a cross-dresser.

"One hundred!" The man with the grouchy voice again.

"Oh?" The auctioneer called out in fake surprise. "Do I hear any more bids?" Silence. "No? Well then," He moved to ring the finalizing bell but a sharp, baritone voice that sent gasps through the crowd.

"One hundred and fifty million yen."

Tsuna closed his eyes from behind the blindfold. The voice was somewhat grouchy and raspy, like someone who had been through hell, but he couldn't be sure without seeing the man's eyes. Oh, how he wished he could but he was left blind, mute and weak by the damn drug and blindfolds but still one hundred percent lucid. Wanting nothing more than to just sleep, he let the darkness drag him under, unable to fight his captors because of the combined collar, drug and the fact that his legs were reduced to nothing but jelly.

And his captors didn't even keep him awake.

' _Reborn… please…find me._ '

_****_Tsuzukeru._ ** ** _

* * *

Honest to God, I think my fingers are broken now... well... obviously not, considering I'm still typing but you know... semantics. I want to hear your opinion on this one. Action has never been my strong point so I apologize if it seems a bit rushed.

Also, let me explain the synesthesia bit. Combined with Tsuna's Vongola Intuition, he can use it to see Dying Will Flames and get a general grasp on their flame's wavelength. I'll go into more detail about that later on. Let's see how many people get the foreshadowing I've hinted around at.

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	2. Chapter 2

**_Author's Note_** : Seriously guys? You have no idea how fucking much I love you right now. I was originally going to wait until tomorrow to post this but I'll give you this right now. Also, be sure to check out Chapter 1 again because I did go through and fix some of the things that were wrong.

I feel like I need to clarify this though. The whole love triangle thing... that will start to show through as the timeline (Hah, timeline? What timeline?! There is no timeline! The essence of time is null and fucking void in this story! *insane cackle*) progresses. And as per popular demand, I did add the Varia into the equation... I hope that it doesn't seem rushed. Please let me know if it does and I'll go back and redo it. Like I said before, this story isn't exactly planned out so I don't really know how it's going to turn out.

**_CHAPTER 2 UPDATED 11/20/13_ **

* * *

It had been publicized that the Varia's betrayal—both the Cradle and the Ring Conflicts—were staged. They both had been planned by Federico in order to make the new heir adapt. Xanxus, being the loyal dog he was, did as he was told and even accepted the consequences that came with it. He had protected his Guardians from the downfall of his actions and by doing so, proved that if it needed to be, he was more than capable of succeeding the mark of Vongola.

But he had no intentions of doing so.

According to Xanxus, Sawada Tsunayoshi was more than capable enough if the reports Reborn sent in were anything to go by. He was one of the few people who was actually able to read those reports without question much to one Sawada Iemitsu's dismay.

But that wasn't what had bothered him.

What had bothered him was that even though Federico's plan had gone through flawlessly, his brother was still dead. Sure, Enrico and Massimo had been his brothers too but he hadn't been as close with them as he had been with Federico—actually, if he was honest about it, he hated both of their guts.

So when those Russian sonuvabitches publicized that it was them who killed Federico, Xanxus of course leapt at the opportunity to get his revenge. Zarkov was relatively small—albeit well known for being a group of mercenaries that slaughtered mindlessly but he could take them.

Or so he thought.

Six days previously, he went to Zarkov's base with the Varia's top brass flanking him. The six of them went in… and only five left.

During the chaos, Xanxus had been separated from his brooding bunch of feral assassins. Squalo was the only one who noticed him cornering the leader on the balcony. The two fought and were evenly matched—Xanxus had been injured by a stray shot which limited his mobility and Alfred Zarkov wasn't known for having the highest stamina.

Just as Squalo was about to assist him in delivering the final blow, Xanxus and Zarkov had been pushed over the edge by one of Zarkov's own men—a betrayal at the worst of times. Squalo had killed him instantly but by the time he got to the edge, Alfred was collapsed on the side of the river bleeding out from a stomach wound… and Xanxus was nowhere to be found.

When the Varia returned to the Vongola HQ with one short, the Ninth had looked like he just took a bullet to the gut—that flash of pain through his eyes, the knowledge that Xanxus might not be alive... Squalo knew hopelessness when he saw it.

Then came the bombshell. Alfred Zarkov was still _alive_ and pumping his bullshit through the Mafia world—Xanxus had been defeated by his hand. The almighty Varia had fallen.

But it hadn't.

Maybe that's why Squalo found himself pacing outside of the Don's personal conference room. Maybe it was because he was hoping for some sort of sign—a sign that his Sky was still alive.

But when he opened the door, he got what he least expected.

Gokudera Hayato in all his glory was leaning against the desk with tense shoulders, narrowed aqua eyes and shadowed by a scowling Yamamoto Takeshi—a rare sight in its own. Hibari Kyoya was leaning in the window and Sasagawa Ryohei was sitting with intertwined fingers and a concentrated frown on his face. Chrome was sitting next to him with flittering glances at Ken and Chikusa who stood behind her with identical looks of solemnity.

The room was tense and when Squalo stepped in, he had to resist the urge to go on the defensive. Bel, Lussuria, Mammon and Levi were also tense behind him but he ignored them for the sake of observing the situation at hand. "Reborn," Mammon said evenly. "I didn't expect to see you on Italian soil before the coronation."

Reborn's eyes flashed dangerously, the muscles in his neck taut. "Nor did I," He greeted though his voice was as sharp as steel and icy cold.

"What happened?" Squalo asked sharply, not willing to buckle under the weight of the tension in the room. "Have you got a location on Xanxus?"

"Potentially," The Ninth said slowly. "Alfred Zarkov has now been moved up to number one priority on the Vongola's list."

Now, Squalo was far from stupid. He knew that something severe must have happened if the Ninth Generation was stepping in and declaring things like that. "The kid…" Squalo breathed. "He has Sawada?"

"To start from the beginning…" Hayato muttered under his breath. "Forty eight hours ago, Juudiame went out for a walk after a heated argument. I got a text message from him stating that he wasn't going to my apartment but if anyone asked, that's where he was. He was headed to Kokuyo where Chrome, Joshima and Kakimoto were staying. Early the next morning, I was taking the shortcut we usually take only to find that he never made it to Kokuyo. The assassin who found dead in the alley-way on the way to Kokuyo was named Demetrius Zarkov—Alfred Zarkov's younger brother. He was dead—three bullets to the diaphragm, the lung and the heart. The killing shot was the one to his heart but he was injured pre-mortem by something hot. It ran him through but it wasn't a fatal shot. Incapacitating at best but not fatal. The triple shot is a signature by a woman named Sarada Mochizuki, a known trafficker and assassin in Japan… we managed to track her to an airport in Shibuya where there was an auction at a nearby hotel."

Without realizing it, Squalo tensed, eyes narrowing. Sawada had been auctioned off as… what? A harlot?

"We traced her sale to Demitri Volkov." Hibari continued where Hayato had left off, "He left on a flight from Shibuya to Baley where he would pick up a flight to Moscow… the only problem is that his flight left an hour ago… and he wasn't on it."

"What's Zarkov got to do with this?" Bel asked, his familiarity with this side of them obvious. Squalo made it a note to ask about it when they had a free moment because this… was unnerving. To see them acting like Mafiosi…

"Volkov was doing business with Zarkov," Hayato cut in, "The brunette he bought in Japan was being sold for double the amount in a set meeting place in Moscow. The time is set for Saturday afternoon in the penthouse at one of the most expensive hotels in Russia—The Royale Empire."

"Saturday is three days away…" Bel inclined his head. "But if Volkov doesn't reach his flight, Zarkov is going to think something is up."

"That's the problem… Volkov has been missing since his flight landed and no one has been able to locate him." Hayato said with narrowed eyes.

"Baley, right?" Bel asked. "Baley has a lot of forest ground, not to mention its set right on the Unda River. Volkov is a small town gang known for dealings and prostitution. It wouldn't be surprising if he had holding quarters hidden in the forest. Sometime during the Cold War a whole bunch of them were dug out and forged for prisoners of war. Most of them have been filled but a few have been taken over by small time gangs for torture chambers or meth labs. I know that one is located near Baley and it's not flooded over this time of year."

"It's not a solid lead but it's firm enough to walk on. How many contacts are still willing to do business with you?" Hayato asked.

"I'm the prince! They'll be banished if they _don't_ do business with me." Bel snorted. "I have a few in places that haven't forgotten about my bloodline. You want discreet or knowing?"

"I _want_ Zarkov to feel the heat of going against the Vongola but discretion is key in this one." Hayato sneered. "If we spook him, he's bound to take everything he's got and head for the hills."

"And if Zarkov himself makes an appearance before then?" Bel asked.

"If you can catch him, you mean." Hayato said taking a drag of his cancer stick. "Do whatever you want to him but make sure he's still alive and isn't fucked up to the point where he can't give us the information we need." Hayato said evenly.

Time changes a person—that was a fact Squalo knew well but to see it first hand, just how mature these previously-brats were… it was nerve-wracking. Hayato was behaving more and more like a right hand was supposed to—cold, calculating and ruthless in the face of danger. Squalo suppressed a shudder. He did _not_ want to see this side of them aimed directly at _him_ —that much was for certain.

"Is there anything on Xanxus?" Squalo asked, unable to keep from pondering the question.

Hayato's turquoise eyes flicked towards him and then he sighed. "Nothing, I'm afraid but as long as the Tenth and Xanxus are in the same country, there's nothing stopping us from looking for both of them."

"Is there a chance that they've met up?" Lussuria asked all business.

"There is a chance but they haven't." Chrome was the one to answer. "Mukuro has been keeping mental tabs on Tsunayoshi using their connection but can't get an exact location because he doesn't have the Vongola Rings on him and the last time he slept was drug-induced."

"Bianchi stationed herself at the airport last night, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of either of them but hasn't gotten anything yet." Hayato put in absently.

"I'll go make those arrangements then," Bel said. "I'll notify you when they've been put up." He added, excusing himself.

Now, the Guardians knew, came the hard part.

Now, they had to wait.

* * *

"I don't know what languages he speaks." Tsuna heard a voice grouch in Russian—one of the languages he had picked up after four years of studying under Reborn's tutelage. It was the same voice he had heard during that… auction thing. The urge to groan was very prominent but Tsuna managed to suppress it through will power alone. Why did his luck have to suck as badly as it did? "Even so. It doesn't matter what languages he speaks or even if he's a virgin. He's on the first flight from Baley to Moscow where he'll be sold for twice the amount I paid, understand? I already have a buyer in place."

"Yes, sir…" The lower voice said laced with an emotion Tsuna could identify as fear.

"Dunk him," The grouchy voice said and Tsuna felt himself being shoved under ice cold water. He was held there for a few moments before lifted back up and was left struggling for breath. "Do you have a name?" He asked in thickly accented Japanese. Tsuna's Will flared and he had to squash it quite violently to keep it from changing his eye color. The collar would prevent it from materializing but that didn't mean it would prevent his bloodline from becoming apparent and he'd rather not have these fools knowing his identity, thankyouverymuch. "Again," He ordered and the people holding him dunked him under water again. He was held there until his head spun. White spots danced in his vision for a bit before he looked at his captor—the obvious leader.

Demetri Volkov—leader of the Volkov gang in Russia. They supplied drug dealers with various date-rape drugs. He had a scar running down his face from one of Bianchi's strikes. Letting his recklessness overtake him despite the warning bells going off clearly in his mind, Tsuna forced his bound arms over his head, his shoulders rolling painfully, until his hands were in front of him and raised them to grab at the wrist of the person who dared to try and drown him. Without warning, he flared his flame and the man—he was sure of that now—let him go with a scream of pain. Tsuna dropped into the water tank and flared his flame to life again, heating his skin and causing the water to heat up as well until nothing but steam was left.

He slammed his shoulder against the tank causing the wood to shatter. His shoulder throbbed on the impact but he wasn't about to stick around and nurse the throbbing pain. He would have ran towards the door but the sharp sound of the safety of a gun clicking off and cocking followed by the sensation of the icy metal digging into the base of his skull stopped him.

"Now, now," The Demitri said in his accented Japanese. "That won't do… I spent an awful amount of money on you, you see… I'd hate to bruise my merchandise. I need you clean for your next owner. You see you'll be going to a friend of mine. His name is Zarkov Alfred."

Zarkov? Shit… he'd heard of them from the report that the Ninth sent him almost a week ago. The organization had been put under high alert after Xanxus had gone MIA investigating their involvement in Federico's death (details of which he would have time to dwell on later). This was not good… if someone as lethal as Xanxus was missing by their hand, he severely doubted that he was going to last ten seconds against them. Trained as he may be, he lacked the experience and he knew experience had more power over strength alone.

"Good boy," Demitri taunted. "Now… where were we? Oh yes," His gun collided with the back of his head, sending white spots into his vision. He didn't give the Russian bastard the pleasure of hearing him cry out. "What is your name?" He asked again, aiming the gun at his head.

Name… name… he needed a name. "Tenma," Tsuna said evenly, letting his displeasure for the man show through.

"Last name, first name?" He pressed.

"I don't think I want you to know," Tsuna said levelly, his eyes betraying nothing but cold, icy calculation.

"Hm… Tenma means 'true sky', yes?" He asked, leering down at Tsuna as though he was a piece of meat.

Tsuna let a smirk—cold and cruel—flitter over his expression. "It also means 'demon' or 'evil spirit'."

"Hm, cheeky brat. How old are you?" No reply. "I loathe repeating myself." Demitri said with narrowed eyes. Still, no answer. His caramel eyes watched him with cold calculation and indifference. "What is your element?" He noticed the slight twitch under his left eye—a reaction. "Oh-hoh, that got a reaction did it? What is your _Famiglia_?" He asked, changing his question.

"Freelance," Tsuna said sharply. "I work alone." It was a lie but his steady breathing and level gaze told him otherwise. Demitri seemed to know he was lying though.

"It doesn't matter… you won't see the light of day again. Russia, Japan and Italy are crowded places after all. One missing person won't raise that much of a commotion."

' _If you only knew, you poor bastard. If you only knew…_ ' Tsuna thought, unable to hide his mirth at the thought. Vongola would wipe the floor with this bastard.

"Oh? A feisty one, eh? You know… there's a word in my line of work for your kind. They are called unbreakables. Unbendable wills. You can starve them, rape them, beat them, burn them, physically mutilate them but nothing will change who they are… until they are reunited with their loved ones." Tsuna had to squash the panic that almost flittered over his gaze.

Even he wasn't infallible.

"Their loved ones are the ones that do the most damage… and once the Zarkov are done with you, you'll be no good." Demitri continued. "Shame, too, because you're a cute little thing. You probably had a whole future ahead of you, Tenma- _chan_."

Tsuna felt something inside of him snap at the man's tone. He lunged forward and caught Demitri by the throat. A flash of fear flittered through his eyes but it was gone a millisecond later. All of the men aimed their guns at Tsuna and he was left glaring down at Demitri, straddling him with the chains connecting the manacles against the man's throat.

"Let me tell you a little story, Volkov Demitri," Tsuna said evenly. "There once was a barbaric king who ruled over all of his people with fear and intimidation. One day, he bought a slave that just refused to listen so he did everything in his power to break that slave. One day, when he was finished having his perverse fun with the slave, the positions were suddenly switched. It was no longer the slave's life that was in his hands. It was the king's life that was in the slave's hands. Ordering his fearing servants to shoot the slaves was pointless because he knew… that slave not only overpowered him but gained the fear and reluctant respect of his subjects as well. Do you know what happened to the king?"

"Oh, humor me," Demitri said dryly, his pride out weighing his self-preservation. Such a pity, really.

"This," Tsuna twisted the chain and snapped the man's neck fluidly, ignoring the churning in his gut. Tsuna flipped off of the man and closed his eyes for a second. More death. More blood on his hands.

Stop whining, he heard Reborn's voice snap in the back of his mind. You don't have time for this. Escape. Tsuna didn't wait for the fearing subordinates to snap back to reality. He was doing what he had to do to survive. If it had to be done, do it. Don't second thing it. That's what Reborn taught him.

But always remember the faces, the names, the expressions of those that were killed by your hand.

That was one of his biggest rules. Demitri had no family—only a cruel empire of fearful subordinates that were free and he was one of the people Tsuna had been planning on taking down anyways. This was only speeding up the process.

Tsuna stopped at the edge of what he could only assume was a dungeon to listen. He had to wait for a moment or two before he could hear anything but the sound of his own heartbeat and the blood pounding through his ears but when it cleared, he could hear the sound of wolves howling. It was night time if the packs were out hunting.

He could hear wind, trees, a river, the scrambling of a small animal or two. So they were in a separate place, not attached to any buildings. Good. He could use that.

Tsuna opened his eyes and looked in front of him, eyes narrow in concentration as he allowed his newest ability—synesthesia, as Reborn had called it—to activate. He could see flames—three red, two green, one yellow… now for the scenery… empty hallway, empty hallway… ah-hah! Stares! That must be the exit… now to lead back to where he was…

When he returned to a conscious state of mind, Tsuna wasted no time in running the directions he had just calculated, stopping occasionally when he thought he heard shuffling. Getting to the basement door had been easy but he knew that there was no way of knowing where he was without finding a city of some sort.

He ran through the four languages he did know—Russian, English, Japanese and Italian. They were the ones most used in the business. If he was somewhere where those languages did not come into play, he was fucked to put it gently. Pushing the door open, Tsuna climbed onto the dirt before allowing his surroundings to sink in completely. Forest setting, very moist, dark and he heard a river nearby.

Tsuna had to breathe in a sigh of relief when he got to the river bank—the river was wide and deep. If he had to, he could swim. The current wasn't overpowering but it could potentially turn dangerous if he encountered a waterfall of any kind. The rocks in the center of the river were granite so the water was more than likely already filtered.

"He's escaped!"

"Check the river!"

Well, shit…

Tsuna let out a string of curses and ran to the side of the river, wading through the water. He almost lost his footing a few times but when the water got to his throat, he knew that he wouldn't be able to make it across without swimming and the chains on his wrists were weighing him down.

With only the light of the full moon to guide him, Tsuna uttered the words of encouragement he could think of. "Close your eyes… and jump." And that's what he did.

The water was dark. He could see the beams of flashlights behind him, looking over the water for any irregularities. If Volkov's men were still coming after him, that must mean that this Zarkov guy was more intimidating.

Well that shouldn't be surprising. His luck sucked and that was just one more thing on the list to prove it.

The water was hard to move in and his lungs were pleading for air but he had to fight. When he broke through the surface after the beams of light vanished, Tsuna swallowed a large gulp of air and crawled to the side.

Tsuna curled up into a ball, trying to conserve some of his body heat from the cold water. He couldn't help the lone thought that crossed his mind because he was honestly curious—and utterly terrified of how this situation would end.

How long would he be before someone could locate him?

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

Whew. I have to admit, I am on a roll with this. I had this chapter done yesterday but I waited until today to go through it. Chapter three is also done but it needs some drastic editing and since I don't have a beta (and refuse to get one) I do it all myself.

Remember to tell me what you think! I want to know what you want to see in this story.

Thanks for reading~!

P.S. ' _Tsuzukeru_ ' means _'to continue'_ or _'to be continued'_ with the way I'm using it for anyone who was wondering.

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	3. Chapter 3

**_Author's Note_ : **Questions will be answered down below so be sure to check that out, alright? And I honestly need to know... WHY ARE YOU GUYS BASHING ON REBORN?! LIKE SERIOUSLY! I feel bad now for making him the flustered one...

Should I put a basher's warning? Hm...

This chapter is dedicated to all of my awesome reviewers!

**Thank you, Anello di Tempesta, for pointing that out. It has been fixed!**

* * *

_**Question and Answer time!** _

**Q:** Are you Russian?

**A:** _No. I just chose Russia because of the vast amount of stray wilderness they have that's untouched by buildings and what-not. And I assure you, most of the stuff that's typed out on here is assumed... none of it is to be taken into account for realistic locations._

**Q:** Will there be 6918/6996 here?

**A:** _Yes, amongst others. Don't expect it all to be romantic shipping though. This is the Mafia and not all relationships are built on romance._

**Q:** Why haven't the characters shown any of their quirks yet (i.e Bel's 'Ushishishi' or Squalo's 'Voii')?

**A:** _Because they are serious. Seriousness means just that. Squalo doesn't seem like the type to shout VOII! when his boss is missing and while Bel can totally pull off the Cheshire cat's troublemaking personality, he also knows when to get serious. Lussuria is considerably less whiny too._

**Q** : Who is Rena?

 **A** : _An OC that was super angst-worthy and plays a minor head-canon role before Reborn became an Arcobaleno. She was Reborn's third lover. But she's dead now. I have an entire headcanon that I use for Reborn since its never really exposed. Should I write it?_

**A very good point that _Metue_ pointed out is that in some places, I am a bit unclear. The reason being is that I left a lot of it open for interpretation. Things like attire, scenery, appearances to the lesser characters and what not are left up to my readers to decide. That won't be permanent though so don't get used to it.**

And yes, _Metue_ , I am going to keep this as a three-way relationship. It works for 182769 so why won't it work for this one? I'll go into the psychology about the whole thing when the bad blood has been cleared. Also, expect hints of some yuri and het in here too. This is the Mafia after all.

Now, on with the story!

**_Updated 11/20/13!_ **

* * *

There was a rumble overhead. The faint sounds of thunder in the distance reminded Tsuna of how cold his drenched clothes were. It had taken him all night to get to where he was but at the moment, he couldn't care less. The weather, as shitty as it was, was the only thing keeping him from being tracked and that was enough to have him thanking it. The chill, however, made him curse it.

It was a love/hate relationship, really.

The wet earth was leaving tracks but considering his location, they wouldn't be able to track him unless they had incredibly skilled hunters and simultaneously, dogs couldn't trace his scent. He wouldn't be stupid. He would just have to avoid low populated areas. Once he got to the heart of the city, or even an airport, he could blend into the crowd and lose his hunters.

Tsuna had stuck close to the river and to be honest, he wasn't sure that this was a blessing or a curse anymore because the tree coverage was beginning to die out. Scanning his surroundings, Tsuna's eyes stopped on a building—obviously abandoned—and he sighed in relief even if he was feeling anything but. He could use that as coverage until his clothes dried at the very least. There were holes, he knew, but he would worry about it when they came into play. That was one of his rules, after all.

At the same time, though, his mind was already shooting down the idea of rest. Demitri's men could have predicted his movements and set up a trap. They could be waiting for him. If not Demitri then Zarkov. Either way, if he was caught, he was fucked—most likely in the literal sense later on and he'd rather not look like Hayato did the day after he and Takeshi hooked up. Tsuna had to bite back a snicker. Reborn had spiked the punch and Takeshi had taken full advantage of the situation.

Reborn…

The thought of his tutor sent a pang of unidentifiable emotion ringing through him but he shoved it aside. He didn't have time to dwell on things like that. Survival came first. Everything else could wait.

The wind blew a piece of hair into his face and Tsuna moved to brush it out of his face and was reminded of the manacles still strapped around his wrists. He groaned aloud. He had almost forgotten about his restraints.

He'd have to chance it, he finally decided. There was too much that had to be done before he could prioritize and that building would either make or break the situation.

The trek was an exhausting one but well worth it in the end. It wasn't in its prime condition—the building was roofless and covered with rust, mold and dirt—but beggars couldn't be choosers. Russia was a moist country and most of the buildings that rusted were left abandoned and, despite its poor condition, it was probably the only building that wasn't seemingly occupied. Sure, Tsunayoshi knew he was bound to come across some more later on but right now, all he wanted to do was sleep. He wasn't going to risk looking for another one when this one would do just as well. He was exhausted and his body was almost at its limit as it was.

Slinking carefully and soundlessly on the rusted floor, Tsuna attempted to look down at the shadowed area below him only to freeze in shock causing the chain of the manacles to click against the cement foundation of the building.

The reason for his shock? Being supported by the wall in an enshrouded corner was the last person Tsuna ever expected to see.

' _Xanxus…_ '

* * *

"What's bothering you, old friend?" Timoteo asked once the younger generation left and Reborn was left leaning on the table, an espresso in his hand and Leon on his fedora. "Do you blame yourself for Tsunayoshi's disappearance?" Normal people wouldn't have gotten to see the hitman in a vulnerable state but when one has seen a friend that's been around since the day he could remember, vulnerabilities were just a small leaf on a big tree. The slight twitch in his posture was enough to tell Timoteo that Reborn had just flinched and that he hit the nail on the head.

"We got into an argument before he left," Reborn said quietly. "It escalated… to the point that Tsuna left to stay at Hayato's for the night… I thought he was safe. I thought that he was…" Timoteo had seen many men break before but this was the first time since Reborn had been cursed that he had seen the hitman reach his limit. "He never made it to Hayato's… he headed straight for Kokuyo. I should have known… and yet… I didn't. Chikusa told me that Tsuna spent nights there on the weekends to make sure that Chrome was fairing alright after the surgery took place…"

"If you would have known, would you have stopped him?" Timoteo asked.

"Mukuro is dangerous," Reborn growled. "He refuses to accept that."

"Reborn, you are a leader as he is… but Tsunayoshi has yet to learn that submitting to someone takes as much strength as leading." Timoteo put a hand on the hitman's shoulder. "The difference between the two of you, however, is that Tsunayoshi is the Sky. You cannot choose who he claims as his elements… but you can become one of them."

Reborn knew that. His eyes narrowed. "It doesn't matter." Reborn finally said. "I screwed up big time and I'm going to fix it."

Timoteo sighed. "Reborn, you may be older than me but I am no fool." He looked up at him. "You have feelings for Tsunayoshi, do you not?"

Reborn tensed slightly. "Like I said, it doesn't matter."

"It does if your arguments will put him in danger every time. It is as I said, Reborn. Tsunayoshi is young and needs a firm hand to guide him but perhaps you are being too firm." Timoteo's hands folded neatly in his lap. "They have a saying, old friend. Don't let your possessiveness, your jealousy or your darkness dominate you for it could be the very reason you lose someone that you love the most."

* * *

Mistakes on the field were deadly, Tsuna recalled Reborn telling him at one point. Letting the chain linking the cuffs together tap against the cement to make a sound that is eerily similar to the sound of the safety clicking off of a semi-automatic weapon was Tsuna's mistake. It was quite trivial, really, but it led to a rather painful and compromising position.

The feral assassin's hand shot towards Tsuna's neck, pulling him down and shoving him against the wall. Tsuna muffled his cry by biting his cheek. He felt the barrel of Xanxus' gun against his carotid artery and felt his breathing hitch.

There were any number of things that could have been said in this situation, really, but at the moment, Tsuna knew better than to let his impulses override his sense of self-preservation. Instead of doing something stupid like, oh, _trying to wake him up_ , Tsuna let himself go limp. It took a lot of will power and self restraint not to go on defense but he knew that doing that would only get him killed in this situation.

Luckily it triggered a positive (in Tsuna's opinion) reaction since his grip loosened. Not about to waste his good fortune—for once—Tsuna used his agility to his advantage and wrapped his legs around Xanxus' waist. They were both brought to the ground but Tsuna was on top of Xanxus and he managed to shove one of the guns out of reach before he pressed the chain against Xanxus' throat. ' _Please, please, please let my good fortune continue._ ' Tsuna prayed, "Hold it." Tsuna said in a deadly tone, taking care to add some killer intent into his words as he said them.

That seemed to do the trick because Xanxus' sleep glazed eyes sharpened immediately and Tsuna felt the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding release. "The… fuck?" Xanxus muttered as Tsuna pulled back and stood up. "Trash?"

"Well good morning to you too." Tsuna drawled before scanning his surroundings out of habit alone.

"I'm not the one using my restraints as a weapon."

"Um, excuse me. Who was it that just attacked me in a hair triggered state? I didn't even do anything!" Tsuna hissed and then he slumped with exhaustion. That seem to wake Xanxus up even more.

"There are so many things I could be asking right now but I think I'll opt for this one first. When was the last time you slept?" Xanxus asked.

"A drug induced sleep almost forty eight hours ago, why?" Tsuna asked.

"Because you look like shit." Xanxus stood up and guided him to a dry spot. "And your clothes are drenched. Did you cross the river?"

"I was being held in one of those holding blocks that were used for prisoners of war in World War 2. I either crossed the river and escaped or kept on the route I was on and get ambushed. I chose the lesser of two evils."

"And you're probably going to get sick because of it." Xanxus commented.

"Don't care." Tsuna finally said flatly. "Now if you don't mind, I have some things to do before I prioritize… like getting these fucking manacles off." Tsuna grumbled the last part under his breath but Xanxus heard nonetheless if his chuckle was anything to go by.

"Your language is atrocious." Xanxus commented. "Come here." He reached out and ignited his flame. Tsuna winced slightly but it didn't burn him as badly as it could have. "What's up with the collar?"

"It's a suppressant. I can't call on my Dying Will Flames and even if I could, I don't have my weapons with me."

Xanxus raised an eyebrow. "Well you're about useless, aren't you?"

Tsuna's eyes darkened dangerously. "Don't be too sure about that, Xanxus. I took you down without a problem, didn't I?" Xanxus twitched slightly. "And anyways, I can kill just as efficiently without my flames as I can with them."

Xanxus was quiet for a few moments. "Hey… you're… not the same as that kid that shrieked at the sight of me… are you?"

"Nope." Tsuna said, exaggerating the syllables to emphasize his point. "I haven't been that kid since… two years ago, actually. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sleep."

"Not in those clothes you're not." Xanxus stated, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You'll get sick if you haven't started doing so already. Strip. They need to dry."

Tsuna didn't know why but he felt a flush creeping up his neck and he had to rather violently push it away.

"What do you know about that collar?" Xanxus asked, jumping subjects.

"It has wiring that short-circuited when I went for a little swim," Tsuna answered absently as he rubbed his wrists to get feeling back and ignoring the abrupt change in subject. "There are two vials though and the needle is piercing through my carotid artery. I can't feel it but if anyone touches it, I'll rip their throats out." The threat was aimed at him, he knew but Xanxus didn't take it seriously. "One of them is the suppressant and the other is a mystery drug in case the leather snaps."

Maybe he _should_ have taken the threat seriously.

"Well… I doubt it's fatal all things considering which means it's probably a paralysis drug or something that induces vertigo. I guess there's only one way to find out." Xanxus reached for the collar and found himself with Tsuna standing behind him and his arms positioned to snap his neck.

"Reflex," Tsuna supplied simply in advance to slowly let go of him and slid back into his spot in front of him. Xanxus's hand trailed to the back of his neck and he felt Tsuna tense at the touch. When Tsuna didn't move to attack him again, Xanxus let his other hand drift over the leather and feel the flow of it beneath him. Tsuna's hands were clenched—white knuckled—and Xanxus knew that Tsuna was having a hard time restraining himself from killing him. Igniting his flame, the smell of burning cow-hide filled the hair and the strap fell away.

Tsuna swayed on his feet, his eyes becoming glazed over before he collapsed to his knees. "Vertigo inducing drug it is." Xanxus mused, moving Tsuna so that he was leaning in the corner.

Tsuna closed his eyes as he waited for the room to stop spinning. "Ugh. That was nauseating." He evened out his breathing before he opened his eyes in time to see Xanxus shift before turning around and undoing his own shirt. Xanxus turned away from Tsuna and settled down, tugging off his leather jeans as he did so. It took Tsuna a moment or two to realize what Xanxus was doing.

He was giving him privacy.

Blushing heavily, Tsuna tugged off his hoodie and t-shirt in one go. Tsuna fiddled with his jeans before sliding them off and crawling over to where Xanxus was sitting and leaning against his back. Xanxus's spine straightened at the contact before relaxing slightly.

"H-How did y-you g-get that w-wound?" Tsuna asked through his shivering. Why did Russia have to be so cold? Why couldn't he have been dropped somewhere with a beach?

"Gunshot… it's almost healed. I've been healing it on and off when I'm not moving." Since Sky flames had the 'harmony' element, they could call forth the nature of all of the flames (i.e Storm's ' _disintegration_ ') and use it even if they weren't using the original flame itself. His voice vibrated through Tsuna, startling him slightly.

So maybe he hadn't grown out of his healthy respect for the Varia assassin yet.

Even after twenty minutes had passed, Tsuna was still shivering but whether or not it was from the cold or how close he was to Xanxus, neither of them knew. Xanxus scowled slightly in thought before huffing and draping his uniform coat which was still dry and warm in the fur lining on the inside over Tsuna.

"Wh-What about you?" Tsuna asked, cursing his stutter. He thought he lost that a long time ago. Luckily though, he was still trembling from the cold a bit.

"Flames of Wrath, remember?" Xanxus said levelly and Tsuna felt the sensation that he was covering up the truth. Sighing, Tsuna decided to take action, deciding to squash the shrieking part of his mind. Xanxus didn't have a chance to react because Tsuna had moved faster than he had ever seen anyone move before. Tsuna's face was buried in his chest but he could see that his ears were tinged with red. The Varia coat was large enough to drape over both of them.

Ignoring the wave of Vertigo that crashed over him, Tsuna closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him. It wasn't too long until Xanxus did the same.

* * *

"…ola…"

Tsuna frowned. What was that?

"…gola…"

It sounded almost like…

"Vongola…"

Mukuro! Tsuna spun around and collided with his Mist's chest.

"Tsunayoshi," Mukuro said, sounding almost relieved with amusement dancing around his voice as well.

"Mukuro!" Tsuna mouthed before his hand flew to his throat. No sound would leave his lips.

"You can't speak because you are not necessarily in a dreamlike state. My guess is that you're using that hypnotic state that Arcobaleno taught you… don't talk, just listen. Vongola is looking for you. They've narrowed the search to Russia but lack an exact location."

"I'm with Xanxus," Tsuna mouthed.

"The Varia will be glad to hear that… are either of you injured?" Mukuro asked. Tsuna shook his head. Nothing that they needed to worry about. The gunshot wound Xanxus was a fading pink, looking like nothing more than raw surface tissue which would either callous of left alone or he would heal it one more time and it would fade. "Where are you?"

Tsuna paused. "Baley," He mouthed. "Hour hike away from civilian airport."

Whatever Mukuro was going to say was gone when Tsuna's grip on that half-lucid-half-conscious state vanished, leaving him with the dark view of the inside of his eyelids and the heat of a fire burning behind him. He hadn't woken when Xanxus got up to start the fire… so then what woke him? The light flickering of Xanxus's Will made his spine snap straight. The leather jacket fell from him, scraping against his skin in a way that made him shudder.

So that's what woke him. Xanxus must have used his flame to light the fire.

"Mukuro has a location now," Tsuna said softly, not taking his eyes away from the fire to meet the crimson orbs watching his expression. He was afraid of what he'd see this time.

"How long have I been resting?" Because what he was doing could hardly be considered sleeping.

"A few hours," Xanxus replied. "I move by night."

Tsuna moved so that the jacket was hanging on his shoulders. "Are my clothes dry?"

"Close enough," The violent hitman replied. "You won't get sick with them. Where did you get those scratches?" Xanxus jerked his chin at Tsuna's chest.

"Porcelain shards on the kitchen floor," Tsuna replied, smiling sheepishly at the deadpan expression he got in reply. "I didn't trip… someone forced me down. I told you I got into an argument with Reborn, didn't I?"

"No, actually you didn't." Xanxus raised an eyebrow.

Tsuna blinked and tilted his head slightly. "That's how I ended up in this situation to begin with." Tsuna said. "I was talking to Reborn about potentially having Mukuro released from Vendicare and I got into an argument with him. I was feeling particularly vengeful so I was going to head to Kokuyo to stay with Chrome and the boys until things blew over but I was intercepted at the shortcut by one Sarada Mochizuki."

"Sarada… wait, you mean you didn't get the warning?" Xanxus asked, blinking in bewilderment.

"Warning?"

"Sarada Mochizuki is an alias. Her real name is Felicia Calidori and she's Zarkov's mistress."

Tsuna's eyes narrowed. "This is going to seem like a completely irrelevant question but it makes sense in my head. Who was responsible for putting out that warning?"

"The CEDEF," Xanxus replied.

Tsuna's eyes darkened. "I see…" Damn that man.

Silence fell upon them and Xanxus found himself thinking. Tsunayoshi wasn't the same wimpy little kid that he had fought during the Ring Conflicts. Tsuna had matured. His eyes held pain—tales of heartbreak and betrayal… but who would betray him? Even the Varia, violent as they may be about it, was loyal.

Xanxus knew that time changed people but he didn't think four years would have this much of an impact on him. His posture was relaxed but alert—not tense or coiled but he could tell that his senses were expanded if only a bit.

Tsuna tensed suddenly, head snapping up towards the window. "We have to go." Tsuna said sharply, so low that Xanxus had to strain his ears to listen. Tsuna lunged for his clothes and scrambled to get them on. Not wanting to second guess the one who had a near-omniscient ability that could reveal all and hide everything all at once, Xanxus extinguished the fire and pulled on his jacket.

Not even five minutes later, the two of them were headed for the river. As soon as they were a well pace away, Tsuna looked back at the building in time to see it be riddled with bullets. The sound of metal colliding with medal and the crack of gunfire combined creating a violent melody that set both Xanxus and Tsuna's minds on edge.

"How good is your air time?" Tsuna asked, not taking his eyes away from the flash of what could only be a pipe-bomb going off.

"That depends… what are you planning?" Xanxus asked, looking at Tsuna from the corner of his eye.

"Trees," Tsuna said simply, as though that would answer his question—and in a way it did—before his form blurred and he was crouching on a low limb, covered by the thick leaves. "They're bound to search the forest. That explosion wasn't hot enough to torch our bones so they should expect to find charred lumps of flesh riddled with bullets. They won't find anything so they'll draw the conclusion we headed towards the river. Just follow my lead from there," If he was going to say anything else, Xanxus knew it would have blown their cover.

It was hard to see even with the eyes of an assassin. He could see Tsuna's eerily glowing eyes but he couldn't make out any distinguishable features. Soon, Tsuna's presence and glowing eyes vanished as well—a cloak. Xanxus took that as his signal to mask his appearance as well.

There was rustling below that was too noisy to be the work of professionals. They must have been low-ranks. A flash of orange caught his attention and Xanxus looked up to see Tsuna motion for the leader, the order clear in his eyes— _keep the leader alive. He has information we need._

Xanxus knew to wait… he just hoped Tsuna did as well. In sync, they both dropped from their positions and grabbed the ones closest to them. The sickening crunch that followed was enough to tell Xanxus that the boy was trained in more than mathematical equations and martial arts.

He was trained to kill.

They both moved fluidly, lathering themselves in the feel of bloodlust. Tsuna completed his half and moved to help Xanxus with his but the sharp look he got told him all he needed to know— _I've got it. Get the leader_.

Tsuna altered his position slightly, leaning to the side to grab a hand-gun from one of the men, before he swept his foot out and aimed the barrel of the gun at the leader. "Blink. Twice for no, once for yes. Understand?" Since speaking with the toes of someone's show in your throat was impossible. Xanxus almost did a double take with almost fluent Russian rolled past the boy's lips. The man blinked, one hand moving in frantic motions while Tsuna stepped on the other one. "Zarkov sent you," Tsuna accused.

The man blinked once.

"You were sent to eliminate Volkov but he was dead once you got there." Another blink. Tsuna shifted a bit, still keeping his foot on the man's throat. "Now, I'm going to let you go and you're not going to run or I'll let my comrade here have his fun with you, understand?" The man blinked and Tsuna grinned a smile none-too-nice. "You know Xanxus of the Varia, yes?" The man's eyes widened and some garbled, fearful sounds fell out of his mouth. "Good, then I don't have to waste time introducing him." Tsuna sneered in disgust at the man before stepping away from him, not lowering his gun. "Alfred Zarkov bought something from Demitri Volkov, what was it?"

"A boy… h-he b-believed the boy to b-be _V-Vongola D-Decimo_." The man stuttered out through his fear. "W-We were s-sent to i-infiltrate the h-holding c-cell that he k-kept the boy in s-since Z-Zarkov c-couldn't wait until Saturday b-but when w-we got there D-Demitri was d-dead and th-the men spoke about a d-demon th-that eliminated o-over h-half of the troops."

"Where their bodies to match the tale?" Xanxus asked.

"Y-yes b-but th-the b-break was d-different—i-it was a custom snap, a s-singature… Zarkov kn-knew that they were lying so the place was completely incinerated a-as a result."

"The boy," Tsuna said suddenly. "Do you know what he looked like?"

"B-Brown hair and g-gold e-eyes… I don't know anything else. Don't kill me!" He pleaded but Tsuna ignored him.

"Alfred Zarkov," Tsuna said sharply. "Where is he? Don't lie to me…"

"H-he's on a p-private jet headed for Baley Airport just up the hill! I w-was supposed t-to b-bring th-the boy to the rendezvous point at the rock-face f-framing the river."

"What time was the scheduled meeting?" Xanxus asked. When the man refused to answer, Tsuna cocked the fun and his finger tightened on the trigger.

"Well?"

"A-At n-noon!" The man cried out.

Tsuna looked at Xanxus and the assassin nodded. "I have a message for Zarkov… tell him if he wants Vongola Decimo…" Tsuna leaned in until his breath ghosted over the man's ear. "He has to come and get me." Not giving the man a chance to process the information given to him, Tsuna lashed his foot out and slammed it against the man's chest, shoving him over the edge of the river bank and down into the icy water below. Tsuna watched as the man scrambled to the surface before swimming over to the edge and looking back at where he was. Tsuna wanted to cackle at the man's obvious fear when he realized Tsuna was still watching him.

"Why'd you let him go?" Tsuna turned back towards Xanxus with a raised eyebrow. "Not judgin'… just askin'."

"Zarkov bought me from Demitri because he knew I was Vongola Decimo. I gave Volkov a fake name and while he may have had his suspicions, he didn't know for certain." Tsuna explained as he went through the corpses' belongings as though he had done this several times before. Xanxus was surprised at the fluidity in his movements as he stripped them all of their ties, wallets, weapons and bullets.

It wasn't like they would be needing the belongings anymore and Tsuna would rather level the playing fields it was all the same.

"What're the chances we'll encounter a car or two in Baley?" Tsuna asked, taking off the laptop bag that was on one of the corpses and shoving the things he took off of the men.

"Pretty high. I'll hotwire one when we get to the airport because you don't seem keen on the idea of scrapping our chance at escape. Ones parked there generally stick around for a while. What all did you grab?" Xanxus asked, inclining his head towards the satchel.

"I'll do a checklist later because we're bond to come across some other things that will help us along the way." Tsuna paused. "I have a feeling that the rendezvous at the river bank is a trap intended for me so I'll leave this one up to you. Bypass it and head for Krasnoyarsk or go for the trap and risk being caught?" Xanxus gave Tsuna a level glare that clearly asked ' _do-you-honestly-think-I'm-that-stupid?_ ' and Tsuna laughed. "Krasnoyarsk it is."

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

This chapter is short but every time I tried to extend it, I kept hitting a stump. I rewrote it like ten times before I was finally satisfied so I added Colonnello in there to make it better. I hope everything makes sense. And no, he won't play much of a role... he's only there for character development on Reborn's half.

Well? Tell me what you think~!

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	4. Chapter 4

**_Author's Note_ : **I got some reviews that said Reborn is OOC. I don't think that is necessarily true. Contrary to what most believe, Reborn is still human regardless of his profession and cursed status. When he lashed out against Tsuna, that was his concern and jealousy combining. The fact that he hasn't had sex since he was released from the curse also adds to the tension that's been building up and because he bottles it up-unlike Xanxus who is more apparent and blunt about what he's feeling-which results in him lashing out or just shutting down. This can happen in one of two ways.

He can either lash out physically where he strikes the one he loves/is loyal to/wants to protect or just gives in to his darker desires (i.e: taking Tsuna whether the sex is consensual or not) or he can lash out verbally, targeting someone's most vulnerable insecurities (this is what Tsuna did when they were arguing by telling Reborn he would never submit to a killer) and slashing them down to size using words alone.

Colonnello- because of his status- acted as the 'calming' element and allowed him to vent his emotions, thus putting him in a vulnerable state. Now, this is where his role comes in, Colonnello and Reborn have a rivalry but insinuations state that they actually are closer than any of the other Arcobaleno. Whether or not this is because they have actual headcanon involvement prior to the Arcobaleno Curse, I don't know since it was never stated.

So there. I just wanted to clear things up. Reborn is not out of character... just vulnerable which I suppose can be considered out of character to some.

On with the story!

**_Updated 11/20/13_ **

* * *

"We've got a problem," Bel said, striding into the room with frantic grace. "Zarkov isn't in Moscow anymore. He's on a private jet headed towards Baley."

"Baley? Why would he be going back there? His mansion was burned to the ground." Squalo argued.

"He does run a few underground fighting rings around that area." Lussuria granted.

Hayato made a sound. "Mukuro got in contact with Tsuna. It was brief and he couldn't get any full messages through but he did give us a location. That combined with the message we indirectly got from one of Bianchi's contacts…" He trailed off.

"Message?" Levi grouched. "What message?"

"Volkov has been wiped out under Zarkov's orders but Demitri was dead before that. A couple of the guys that were guarding him said that the boy spoke Japanese and gave them a name—Tenma." Hayato paused, allowing them to process the information. "Tenma has a double meaning. It can mean 'true sky' or 'evil spirit' depending on spelling but it's also a message from the Tenth."

"What the hell are you deriving from _that_?" Squalo demanded. "'Cause I'm not picking up any codes in that."

Hayato's eyes narrowed as he debated whether or not to tell Squalo. In the end, he decided that arguing with the volatile shark was just going to cause unnecessary problems. "I don't know how it got started but somehow, we ended up talking about various beings of the supernatural. Will o'wisps was one of the things that came up. Chrome said that more often than not, the ghostly lights were the headlights of a car reflecting on the fog."

"So? Where's the message?" Lussuria asked. "'Cause it just totally went over my head."

"You idiot," Bel griped. "'Car' is the message. But how did he know that he would run into Xanxus?"

"I don't think he did." Ryohei put in reluctantly. "But the good thing about Tsuna's plans is that they can easily be altered to fit more than one person and since Xanxus has experience under his belt, it adds to the odds putting it in Vongola's favor… to the extreme."

"They aren't stickin' around Baley, are they?" Squalo did something that was a cross-combination of a groan and a sigh. "Knowing that bastard, he's probably on his way to a bigger city. If you want to hide a tree, you hide if in a forest after all."

"Does Zarkov have any known bases in Baley?" Ryohei asked.

"Two underground fight rings but no permanent means to stay," Bel cut. "It wouldn't be so hard just to drop in on one of them, using them as the excuse for an early meeting. But there's something else," The fallen prince added. "Assuming that they believe that Sawada is hotwiring a car, driving from Baley to Mosco—"

"They aren't headed to Moscow." Hayato cut. "Juudiame knows that Zarkov would expect that because Moscow is neutral territory for most of the underground. He'll head to Krasnoyarsk and hang low there until we can throw him a lifeline."

"They have no money," Squalo countered. "Why the fuck would he head to the second biggest city in Siberia without any money?"

"Don't be too sure about that." Reborn cut, eyes scrolling over his phone. "Bianchi just emailed me. She sent an acquaintance to investigate the holding cell story as per my request and it checked out—the place has been vacated… but about three hours hike on the opposite side of the river about a dozen hired guns have been killed and stripped of their ammo, money and supplies. The cause of death for over half of them is a broken spinal cord at the base of their skull."

"Tsuna's signature," Hibari remarked.

"Not one for a messy death, is he?" Levi commented.

"He's finicky like that," Takeshi said lazily. "In a good way, of course."

"Alright," Squalo inserted, cutting off the small talk. "We'll do this your way… what're your orders?"

"For now? We'll wait." Hayato replied. "There's nothing else we can do."

* * *

Tsuna shifted against the leather seats. "Remind me again how you managed to score a _Corvette_ of all things in an airport parking lot." Tsuna teased.

"It was either this or the Audi." Xanxus replied, curving along the mountain road.

"Geh… too small for my liking." Tsuna stuck his tongue out. "Now let's see what this swanky bastard keeps in his glove compartment," Tsuna opened the glove box and his eyebrows shot up. "Well at least he came prepared," Tsuna shook the golden plastic package.

Xanxus barked with laughter, "Offering?" He teased.

"Mm, maybe if you were a bit less bloodthirsty," Tsuna smirked before going through it again. Tsuna looked back in the glove-compartment and frowned. "Is prostitution high here?"

"Yeah, why?" Xanxus asked.

"Because I think this was an escort's car…" Tsuna pulled waved the lubricant with distaste.

Xanxus couldn't quite keep from twitching at that. "I'd almost hate to see what we'd find in the trunk."

"Bondage anyone?" Tsuna teased before his eyes widened in horror. "Oh no, please… anything but the fuzzy hand-cuffs…" Tsuna started hitting his head against the dash-board. Xanxus wheezed with laughter. "Back to my hunting," Tsuna muttered, going back to digging through the glove-box in a much better mood then he had before. Xanxus seemed to have mellowed with age… or his hatred was a stage from the start.

No… maybe it wasn't a stage… maybe he still had it but kept it managed better.

"We'll check the trunk when we find a hotel for the night. How much money did you count?" Xanxus asked.

"In total? About eight hundred dollars in US currency from this alone," Tsuna put the stuff where he could easily get to it if he needed it. "Think its stripper money?"

"Give me the checklist of what we have to work with." Xanxus said in an unobtrusive way—he was simply curious. Tsuna couldn't help but notice he bypassed his follow-up question.

"Some of the stuff may seem completely pointless but I grabbed it anyways. Lighter, matches, nail-polish remover, hand sanitizer, baby powder, money, some first aid stuff, opium, I'm going to pretend that this is massage oil, a curling iron, a disposable camera with full film, thread, some type of wire, a couple of hunting knives and a sewing kit from here." Tsuna replied. "From those assassins I grabbed a few blank passports—obviously insurance—and fifteen hundred US dollars. They also had nine rounds of ammo for the Baby Eagle and seven for the Beretta 92. Oh, and the laptop."

"That should get us by for a few days. Grab the make-up bag too. You can use condoms to make explosives if you do it right." Xanxus smirked when Tsuna gaped at him, pink dusting over his cheeks. "If this really is an escort's car, I have a pretty good idea what's in the trunk already. I'll spare you from going through it though. Wouldn't want your virgin eyes to be scarred any more than you already have been."

"What's wrong with being a virgin?" Tsuna blurted before he could stop it. His hand smacked over his face with a resounding smack. Xanxus barked with laughter again and Tsuna's face burned.

"You're what? Sixteen?" Xanxus asked.

"Seventeen," He mumbled.

"Seventeen and you haven't had sex yet…" Xanxus smirked, "You have no idea what you're missing."

Tsuna glared at him—there were too many wounds for this, "This subject drops, now."

"Alright, alright. I'm not judgin'. I'm just sayin'. Sex is one of the pleasure's we're allowed in this life." Xanxus replied. "I'll have to show you what you're missing one of these days." Tsuna's eyes widened at the implications and before he could stop it, his mind spit images up of Xanxus being buried balls deep inside of him. He averted his eyes and decided to instead look at the passing rock face reflecting the glow of the moon, willing his body to cool off. It would do no good to get aroused right now. He'd have time for that later.

As Tsuna cleared his mind, he also worked on organizing the laptop case so that it would carry more than just the laptop. He could use it to get into contact with Haru who was unlikely at Verde's at this time of year. Midori High let out two weeks before Namimori High did but their graduation ceremonies were at the same time and that was… Tsuna looked at the clock which displayed the date and time… two weeks from today.

That was more than enough time.

"So what happened with you?" Xanxus asked, startling Tsuna out of his silence.

"What do you mean?" Tsuna asked, slipping the strap over his shoulder and adjusting it so that it sat the bulk of the pack sat on his thigh and making it so the strap wouldn't get tangled with the seat belt when—if—he decided to put it on.

"You used to be so… tiny." Xanxus frowned. He had to know. This wasn't the same Sawada brat that he was before.

"Time changes people…" Tsuna replied vaguely. "I got a girlfriend, broke up with her in the most excruciating of ways, got kidnapped a couple of times, lifted the Arcobaleno curse—I've been playing Verde, by the way, in case Mammon never told you," Tsuna shifted a bit.

"Oh, I heard. I want full details on that later." Xanxus said flatly. "Vongola has been trying for decades to get that one on our side. I want to know why he would change his mind now of all times."

Tsuna smirked but continued. "My most recent accomplishment was working on arranging a meeting with Vendice to set my Mist free…" Tsuna looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh, I don't know if this is what you mean by ' _what happened_ ' but we've all claimed our first taste of blood."

"It doesn't seem like it bothers you that much… the bloodshed I mean." Xanxus remarked.

"I've acknowledged it as a part of this lifestyle… and if I want to protect my Family, I have to. My days of playing Don are over. If I'm going to purify the darkness that's corrupted the Mafia through the timeline, I've learned I have to stop hiding from it and jump straight in the middle of it all." Tsuna tilted his head and leaned into his palm, smirking coldly at Xanxus. "I've even made a list of the people I want to get rid of first—my own blacklist. It's rather long but I'm not going for them all at once."

"Volkov was on your list," Xanxus accused.

"Zarkov is as well, the fucking mongrel." Tsuna growled. Xanxus felt the darkening aura wrapping around Tsuna like a vice. "I'm finishing what Ottavo started and Nono screwed up." Xanxus was aware that Tsuna had the right to feel bitter towards his surrogate father but the blame wasn't his alone. "No, that's unfair… Nono didn't screw it up, his outside advisor did." Tsuna said, his voice morphing into something deceptively calm. His eyes glowed eerily in the darkness and Xanxus smirked to himself despite feeling the cruelty that this Mafia Don—because he certainly wasn't a child anymore—could potentially give.

The drive fell silent after that. Neither of them knew what to say and even if they did, it would have ruined the compatibility that overcame them. The low thrum of the engine was all there was between them. It passed quickly, though, and before either of them knew it, they were approaching a rather large overhang—Krasnoyarsk the sign read in Russian lettering. Unfortunately that was all Tsuna could make out before Xanxus made a sharp left.

"Well, we're almost there." Xanxus said. "How good are your guardians at picking up changes in plans?"

"Pretty good at it… why?"

"There are two major airports here and a railway junction. Zarkov has the airports under lock-down but the railway might let a few stowaways catch a ride. One of the junctions passes a train that heads directly to Berlin. We can use those passports there." Xanxus replied.

"Sounds like a plan… but first things first." Tsuna slumped back in his seat.

"Yeah, you're right. We should probab—" Whatever Xanxus was going to say was cut off when the sound of metal scraping against metal tore through the air like nails on a chalkboard. Xanxus's eyes blazed furiously as the six silver Mustangs began matching his speed. "Fuck." He grit out.

Tsuna's eyes widened in shock. "Think it's Zarkov's men?"

"Wouldn't surprise me." Xanxus said between clenched teeth. "Buckle up, brat, we're going to lose them." Xanxus said with a feral grin as he shifted gears before slamming down on the gas pedal. Tsuna felt his body slam backward against the leather seat and he tensed against it as his wide caramel eyes met a shotgun now aimed directly for him. "Get down!" Xanxus ordered and Tsuna undid his seatbelt and slid forward until he was slouching. A moment later, the windows on both sides of them shattered as a bullet flew into the car.

"Just what I fucking need." Xanxus griped, sharply turning the corner. Tsuna had to dig his fingers into the leather of the seat to keep from falling onto Xanxus's lap. Xanxus pulled out one of his X-guns and fired out Tsuna's window. Vaguely, the smell of smoke and the sound of crunching metal caught his attention before they faded into the background.

"Can you get to a road where there isn't as many turns?" He asked over the rolling gunfire that surrounded them from the remaining five cars.

"I can get somewhere with curves instead of sharp turns if that's what you mean." Xanxus replied, flicking his hand over the stick to change gears before breaking and turning sharply. Once again, he slammed on the breaks before flooring the gas pedal and sharply changing directions, bypassing the enemy.

"Close enough," Tsuna's fingers grazed the automatic switch for the windows, rolling down what was left so he wouldn't get cut when he slid out.

Tsuna undid his seat belt before maneuvering with cat-like grace so that he could slide out of the window. "Keep this metal death trap steady. I don't want to fall off."

"Then why the hell are you—" Whatever Xanxus had been saying was cut off when another round of gunfire reverberated almost painfully in their range of hearing. Tsuna gripped down on the roof of the car and slid out with cat-like accuracy before he allowed his Will to envelope him.

Normally, Xanxus would have been all for Tsuna putting himself in the line of fire because it meant that he had actually learned something but in this case, he was more irritated that the little shit was doing something that could get him killed.

Tsuna used his flames to keep from falling off—keeping them as a source of balance instead of materializing them directly as it would result in burns—as Xanxus did another sharp turn, knowing that if he kept it up for too long it would create damage to his hands—most likely in order to knock his scrawny ass off the top of the car for even attempting to do something like this—before he looked up, just in time to see an enemy land on the trunk of the car. "Not so fast…" Tsuna said in a level, low tone that was drowned out. His ignited hand resided on the metal top of the car as he stretched out his leg in a sweeping kick.

It collided with the guy's calf, the bone snapping with a sickening crunch, before he toppled off. Tsuna watched blankly as the guy collided with the car behind him which soon lost control before hitting a tree and exploding from a punctured gas tank, most likely, and taking one more with him. The agile brunette kicked off of the black Corvette and landed on a sleek Mustang that trailed on the side of them. He had landed on the hood and held his hands out in front of him, letting his flames ghost of over the shimmery metal before he jumped up, landing on the roof of the red Corvette that Xanxus was still driving.

His intuition flared in warning when a car pulled up beside them and he narrowly dodged a bullet aimed for his lung. Before he could react to it, though, the window on the driver's seat exploded into shards when a flickering bullet, laced with Sky flames, connected with the driver's head. The car spun out of control before ramming into the side of the cliff and bursting into flames, repeating what had happened to the other mustangs.

Tsuna surveyed his surroundings one last time before he carefully slid back into the car and clicked his seat belt back into place. Catching Xanxus's narrowed gaze, he shot a friendly smile at him. "Are you going to drive or what?"

"You and I are going to have words when we get to a hotel…" Xanxus snarled.

"If we aren't turned into Swiss cheese that is… look!" Tsuna motioned at the side-mirror where a helicopter was just coming into their range of sight. Tsuna grabbed his supply bag and tightened it around his shoulder.

"What are you planning now?" Xanxus asked, swerving to avoid a round of bullets aimed at the car.

"Focus on driving," Tsuna said evenly. "…and pray that there's soft coverage when we jump…" He finished under his breath. Grabbing one of the hunter's knives, he dug it into the metal and reached into the back of the car. Grabbing what felt like metal, he pulled it forward and emerged victorious—he had been expecting something else but a crowbar would do just fine. He reached back again—unsure why—but smirked when he felt a roll of duck-tape.

Maneuvering back into the front seat was easy but now, he knew, came the hard part. "What do you plan on using that shit for?" Xanxus asked, slamming on the breaks and twisting the steering wheel.

"Trust me," Was Tsuna's reply. Before he could elaborate, Tsuna used his small size to his advantage and leaned down, feeling for Xanxus's foot. "When I say, move your foot off of the gas," Tsuna commanded. Taking the strip of tape, he wrapped it around the bottom of the petal and put the curve of the crow-bar right beside Xanxus's foot. "Now!"

Not wanting to piss off his future boss when he was that close to his crotch, Xanxus obeyed and moved. Tsuna positioned the crow-bar between the now floored petal and steering wheel to keep it from moving. For extra measure, he wrapped a strip of tape around the metal and moved back. "Jump," Tsuna said, looking up at Xanxus.

"Have you lost your—" He was cut off by a round of gunfire that they were unable to dodge. The bullets lodged through the roof, almost tearing it away.

"You were saying?" Tsuna asked breathlessly.

The Xanxus opened his door and looked down at the passing scenery. "You're fucking insane, you know that?" Xanxus breathed. He kicked off of the side of the Corvette and launched over the guard. Tsuna followed his actions and they were both left airborne and flightless.

"Give me your hand!" Tsuna called out, reaching for Xanxus's outstretched hand. Calling on his flame once again, Tsuna let his Will flare once more, igniting around him and turning the two of them into nothingness before he materialized four feet above the forest floor. They landed with thuds and the sound of air leaving their lungs was what brought them back to reality.

In the distance, the sound of a car breaking through the guard-rail could be heard. They both shifted, looking at each other with shock before the sound of an explosion wracked through the forest. The click of the helicopter faded away after a bit and Tsuna let out a breath.

And then they both promptly burst out laughing.

"You fucking nut job," Xanxus said, shaking his head exasperated, a bloodthirsty smirk on his lips. "You are bat-shit insane… I think I'm starting to love this side of you, mini-boss. How did you come up with that? More over… how did you know we'd survive?"

"I didn't…" Tsuna admitted. "But I didn't have time to over-think it…" Tsuna added before his expression fell and he swayed a bit. "Nngh… remind me never to do that with two people again… owowowow."

"Come on, Sawada… we'd better get out of here before the authorities search the place for the missing survivors."

* * *

"Repeat everything you just said and ignore any interruptions," Hayato said sharply, holding down a button until Bianchi's voice rolled through the receiver.

" _About half an hour ago, a cherry red Corvette was reported missing and we all know how Tsuna has a nasty little need for speed. Twenty minutes ago, the same Corvette was run off of a cliff about_ _a quarter of_ _a kilometer away from Krasnoyarsk. No bodies were found but by the time the flames were extinguished, they were hot enough to have incinerated not only the metal but any bodies inside. They checked the surrounding area but found nothing—no tracks, no scents, nothing. They've registered potentially two people dead._ "

"But you don't know for sure that it was Xanxus and Sawada," Squalo cut, eyes flashing dangerously.

" _No but my contact was keeping watch on the surveillance cameras_ _at the airport_ _and identified them from the recording. He covered their tracks for them so the local authorities don't catch on to them since I know just how harsh they can get and not trying to make anything of it but your boss is starting to gain an appearance to him._ " Somehow, they knew that Bianchi wasn't talking about Xanxus.

"That doesn't necessarily mean that they are dead." Bel sniped.

" _No but Zarkov's men seem to believe that they are. It's up you to you, Hayato. Do you want me to stick around Baley? Because I will if you want me to._ "

"I'm thinking, hold on," Hayato replied automatically. If he just assumed that both of them were dead and they were still alive, he'd be cutting their lifeline—however flimsy—but at the same time, if he kept resources available where they were visible, things would be twice as difficult. "Alright," Hayato said finally. "Fall back and await further orders but have your contacts keep their eyes peeled without notifying Zarkov about it and make sure to stick around the back-alleys. It's too soon to cut the lifeline yet and I don't want to leave either of them hanging. It'll be difficult but you'll manage. If you can get in contact with any of father's old connections, use them to your advantage because as much as I want to use the grunts for assistance, this is too sensitive to be put in the hands of the lackeys."

" _What's that boss-radar telling you this time, Hayato?_ " Bianchi asked.

"That…" Hayato paused before exhaling sharply. "That… things are only just starting to get hot."

* * *

Reborn rolled onto his side and threw a pillow over his face, wanting nothing more than to scream in frustration. Why had he said those things to Tsuna? They were harsh—especially to a boy who was forced to act against his nature. He knew that and hadn't stop hating himself for it. "You know, Viper told me it was bad but I didn't think it was this bad, kora." Colonnello remarked from the doorway.

"Go away. I don't want to talk to you." Reborn growled menacingly—at least it would have been if he were dressed in his usual attire but right now, he was in a simple t-shirt and sweats and his hair was tussled.

"Well too bad because I want to talk to you, kora. Lal is at a meeting and Iemitsu is being debriefed. I caught enough of it to connect the dots." Colonnello's eyes flashed, sharpening into slits. "It wasn't your fault, you know."

"You don't know the full story behind it." Reborn said, rolling over.

"Well then tell me, kora." He acted as if it was really such a simple concept… maybe it was. Maybe Reborn was just over-thinking things. Maybe…

Well what could it hurt? Colonnello was… an ally—a _trustworthy_ ally.

Against his better judgment, Reborn found himself talking to the blonde that he reluctantly acknowledged as his friend and comrade. "Tsuna and I got into an argument that escalated and quickly got out of hand. It went from being student and teacher to Don and Advisor to something cold and dark really fast. Some things were said... and he left."

"What all was said, kora?" Colonnello sat on the chair beside his bed, leaning into his palm. No judgment flickered in his eyes, only honest curiosity and Reborn was grateful for that.

Reborn flinched—something terribly out of character for him. It just added to how beat up about Tsuna's MIA status he was. "I told him the truth—if I found someone more suited for the position of Mist Guardian I could advise the Ninth to change them out. He said that I couldn't control who he chose as his elements and that if I did, I'd be the reason the Ninth would have to look for a new heir."

"And? How'd you reply?" Colonnello paused. "…kora." It seemed to be added as an afterthought and Reborn snorted at his partner-in-crime's antics.

"I told him that I've had curses spit at me from the people whose lives I took and that that hardly bothered me." Reborn admitted.

"That's it?" Colonnello asked, flabbergasted. "Reborn, you're fighting with him like an overdramatic teenager, kora. I know that the hormonal fluctuations are a bitch but you are in dire need of getting laid." Reborn looked away. "No way… that's it, isn't it? You want Tsuna. Does he know, kora?" Reborn gave him a blank expression. "Wow, kora. And I thought I was in denial. Why didn't you tell him?"

"I'm an assassin, in case you haven't forgotten." Reborn said sharply. "Tsuna openly said he wouldn't submit to a—" Reborn's mouth clamped shut a second later.

"A what?" Colonnello asked. "A killer?" When Reborn looked away, Colonnello smirked. "Change his mind then, kora."

"How, pray tell, would I do that?" Reborn asked, eyes glazing with a yellow hue for a moment.

"Simple… give into your desires. Have you even had sex since you had the curse lifted, kora? I mean seriously…."

"No, I haven't. I've been tutoring Tsuna, remember? I don't have time for that kind of thing." Reborn said lowly. "And if I do that, he'll shatter. You know just how dark my so called ' _desires_ ' can get."

"This isn't just a simple lust frenzy is it?" Colonnello asked. "He's tied you down completely and he doesn't even realize it." Reborn said nothing and the blonde breathed through his nose, the air leaving him with a hiss. "Have you accepted that you're in love with him, kora?"

"What?"

"Acceptance." Colonnello said levelly. "You've already gone through all of the other stages… it's time for you to follow through with the acceptance."

Acceptance…

' _If only it were that easy…_ ' Reborn thought bitterly. Because he knew it wasn't. It couldn't be.

Could it?

* * *

Xanxus should have predicted that this would happen. Really. The kid wasn't looking really good from the start. Whether it was exhaustion from hunger—considering they didn't have time to stop and eat—or it was exhaustion from pulling off that teleportation ability with two people or even the phantom effects of the vertigo-inducing drug, Xanxus didn't know, but he should have known that Tsuna was pushing himself until his breaking point. The brunette was currently unconscious, sleeping in Xanxus's arms and seeming so fragile.

Maybe it was the way he all but folded up in Xanxus's hold. Maybe it was the way his cheeks were flushed with a fever that was pretty high and his skin, where they were touching, was hot against Xanxus'. Either way, Xanxus knew that at this rate, the boy wasn't going to last.

Luckily they hadn't been all that far from the city. Xanxus checked into a hotel, and unfortunately, a love hotel, using a false name, paying for one night in the cheapest room they had—luckily it had two beds—and then promptly deposited the brunette on the bed beside the bathroom. "Stupid kid," Xanxus grumbled. Xanxus sighed. This wouldn't do any good. He could hotwire another car—that wasn't the problem. The problem was Tsuna currently had a fever—medium grade—and he wasn't too sure about the cause of it.

He grabbed the bag and scrawled through the items, checking off mentally what he could use and couldn't, out of habit. He opened the first aid kit and scowled at the overwhelming scent of menthol that filled his nostrils when he held up a head compress. Pulling the plastic away, he brushed away Tsuna's bangs and pressed it to the boy's forehead and immediately the boy's expression lightened.

' _He's cute…_ ' Xanxus thought. Xanxus's fingers trailed from his bangs to the length of his hair… what was it with long hair? He had threatened to castrate Squalo when he was going to cut it because he liked seeing his Rain with long hair. Now, Tsuna had long hair that cut off at the curve of his spine… and he couldn't resist touching it. It was so soft. ' _Tch. Stop thinking shitty thoughts like that…_ ' He lectured himself. ' _Sawada is nothing more than a brat. Always has been and always will be… hm? His clothes are wet…_ ' Xanxus frowned. ' _I need to get some clothes for the both of us… I saw a shopping outlet not too far from here. Should I…?_ '

If he left him in his moist-with-sweat clothes, he'd get sick… well… sick _er_ … but at the same time… Xanxus sighed. There was no happy medium, was there? Shrugging out of his Varia jacket and taking off his hair ornaments, he set them on the table and slid his Varia Ring off of his finger. His scars faded quite a bit and if he played things out right, he would be able to find a hoody.

Moving on the left side, Xanxus undid the buttons to the jacket Tsuna had stolen and shoved it off of his shoulders. Tsuna's skin glowed eerily and captivating in the dim lighting—milky and soft like a peach or silk… but it wasn't unmarred. He had scars littering his abdomen and subconsciously, Xanxus reached out with his hand to trace them, only to freeze when he realized what he was doing. Tsuna was too pure for seasoned hands like his—even with his scars.

Hah. _Seasoned_ was what one called it when they couldn't face the fact that they had taken so many lives that they were cursed to dream of the screams of the people whose lives they had taken. Xanxus had always felt at home with the darkness and slept peacefully in blankets of blood and no matter how predatory this boy was, Tsunayoshi was as pure as they came in this dark, dank world. Xanxus continued to undress the teenager—which wasn't overbearing task to do.

"Nngh… ah…" Tsuna stirred and Xanxus felt his eyes widen slightly in shock. He'd never heard the boy make _that_ sort of sound before.

It was arousing.

' _It's something in the air,_ ' Xanxus snarled in his mind. ' _That's the only reason why I would be viewing my former enemy in such a light. Stop. Thinking. About. It._ ' Xanxus grabbed Tsuna's wrist and his eyes widened slightly at how delicate such powerful hands could feel.

One day.

One. _Fucking_. Day.

He had been in the boy's presence for _one day_ and in that short amount of time, Tsuna had displayed only the ability to lead and to kill. How was it that a trained killer could be so fucking pure?

How was it that Xanxus was captivated so easily and so bloody quickly?

' _This boy is going to drive me mad… I just know it._ ' Xanxus thought as he used the sheets to cover Tsuna's lower body. While he'd already seen the boy bare before, he knew that if he woke up while he was gone, it wouldn't do him well to be left nude as he was. ' _I should leave a note…_ ' He thought.

Xanxus grabbed the notepad on the table and scribbled down a quick note in Japanese. [ _Went to get some things, be back soon._ ] Short, sweet and to the point—just how Xanxus liked it.

 ** _Tsuzukeru_**.

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	5. Chapter 5

**_Author's Note_ : **I got some reviews that said Reborn is OOC. I don't think that is necessarily true. Contrary to what most believe, Reborn is still human regardless of his profession and cursed status. When he lashed out against Tsuna, that was his concern and jealousy combining. The fact that he hasn't had sex since he was released from the curse also adds to the tension that's been building up and because he bottles it up-unlike Xanxus who is more apparent and blunt about what he's feeling-which results in him lashing out or just shutting down. This can happen in one of two ways.

He can either lash out physically where he strikes the one he loves/is loyal to/wants to protect or just gives in to his darker desires (i.e: taking Tsuna whether the sex is consensual or not) or he can lash out verbally, targeting someone's most vulnerable insecurities (this is what Tsuna did when they were arguing by telling Reborn he would never submit to a killer) and slashing them down to size using words alone.

Colonnello- because of his status- acted as the 'calming' element and allowed him to vent his emotions, thus putting him in a vulnerable state. Now, this is where his role comes in, Colonnello and Reborn have a rivalry but insinuations state that they actually are closer than any of the other Arcobaleno. Whether or not this is because they have actual headcanon involvement prior to the Arcobaleno Curse, I don't know since it was never stated.

So there. I just wanted to clear things up. Reborn is not out of character... just vulnerable which I suppose can be considered out of character to some.

On with the story!

**_Updated 11/20/13_ **

* * *

"We've got a problem," Bel said, striding into the room with frantic grace. "Zarkov isn't in Moscow anymore. He's on a private jet headed towards Baley."

"Baley? Why would he be going back there? His mansion was burned to the ground." Squalo argued.

"He does run a few underground fighting rings around that area." Lussuria granted.

Hayato made a sound. "Mukuro got in contact with Tsuna. It was brief and he couldn't get any full messages through but he did give us a location. That combined with the message we indirectly got from one of Bianchi's contacts…" He trailed off.

"Message?" Levi grouched. "What message?"

"Volkov has been wiped out under Zarkov's orders but Demitri was dead before that. A couple of the guys that were guarding him said that the boy spoke Japanese and gave them a name—Tenma." Hayato paused, allowing them to process the information. "Tenma has a double meaning. It can mean 'true sky' or 'evil spirit' depending on spelling but it's also a message from the Tenth."

"What the hell are you deriving from _that_?" Squalo demanded. "'Cause I'm not picking up any codes in that."

Hayato's eyes narrowed as he debated whether or not to tell Squalo. In the end, he decided that arguing with the volatile shark was just going to cause unnecessary problems. "I don't know how it got started but somehow, we ended up talking about various beings of the supernatural. Will o'wisps was one of the things that came up. Chrome said that more often than not, the ghostly lights were the headlights of a car reflecting on the fog."

"So? Where's the message?" Lussuria asked. "'Cause it just totally went over my head."

"You idiot," Bel griped. "'Car' is the message. But how did he know that he would run into Xanxus?"

"I don't think he did." Ryohei put in reluctantly. "But the good thing about Tsuna's plans is that they can easily be altered to fit more than one person and since Xanxus has experience under his belt, it adds to the odds putting it in Vongola's favor… to the extreme."

"They aren't stickin' around Baley, are they?" Squalo did something that was a cross-combination of a groan and a sigh. "Knowing that bastard, he's probably on his way to a bigger city. If you want to hide a tree, you hide if in a forest after all."

"Does Zarkov have any known bases in Baley?" Ryohei asked.

"Two underground fight rings but no permanent means to stay," Bel cut. "It wouldn't be so hard just to drop in on one of them, using them as the excuse for an early meeting. But there's something else," The fallen prince added. "Assuming that they believe that Sawada is hotwiring a car, driving from Baley to Mosco—"

"They aren't headed to Moscow." Hayato cut. "Juudiame knows that Zarkov would expect that because Moscow is neutral territory for most of the underground. He'll head to Krasnoyarsk and hang low there until we can throw him a lifeline."

"They have no money," Squalo countered. "Why the fuck would he head to the second biggest city in Siberia without any money?"

"Don't be too sure about that." Reborn cut, eyes scrolling over his phone. "Bianchi just emailed me. She sent an acquaintance to investigate the holding cell story as per my request and it checked out—the place has been vacated… but about three hours hike on the opposite side of the river about a dozen hired guns have been killed and stripped of their ammo, money and supplies. The cause of death for over half of them is a broken spinal cord at the base of their skull."

"Tsuna's signature," Hibari remarked.

"Not one for a messy death, is he?" Levi commented.

"He's finicky like that," Takeshi said lazily. "In a good way, of course."

"Alright," Squalo inserted, cutting off the small talk. "We'll do this your way… what're your orders?"

"For now? We'll wait." Hayato replied. "There's nothing else we can do."

* * *

Tsuna shifted against the leather seats. "Remind me again how you managed to score a _Corvette_ of all things in an airport parking lot." Tsuna teased.

"It was either this or the Audi." Xanxus replied, curving along the mountain road.

"Geh… too small for my liking." Tsuna stuck his tongue out. "Now let's see what this swanky bastard keeps in his glove compartment," Tsuna opened the glove box and his eyebrows shot up. "Well at least he came prepared," Tsuna shook the golden plastic package.

Xanxus barked with laughter, "Offering?" He teased.

"Mm, maybe if you were a bit less bloodthirsty," Tsuna smirked before going through it again. Tsuna looked back in the glove-compartment and frowned. "Is prostitution high here?"

"Yeah, why?" Xanxus asked.

"Because I think this was an escort's car…" Tsuna pulled waved the lubricant with distaste.

Xanxus couldn't quite keep from twitching at that. "I'd almost hate to see what we'd find in the trunk."

"Bondage anyone?" Tsuna teased before his eyes widened in horror. "Oh no, please… anything but the fuzzy hand-cuffs…" Tsuna started hitting his head against the dash-board. Xanxus wheezed with laughter. "Back to my hunting," Tsuna muttered, going back to digging through the glove-box in a much better mood then he had before. Xanxus seemed to have mellowed with age… or his hatred was a stage from the start.

No… maybe it wasn't a stage… maybe he still had it but kept it managed better.

"We'll check the trunk when we find a hotel for the night. How much money did you count?" Xanxus asked.

"In total? About eight hundred dollars in US currency from this alone," Tsuna put the stuff where he could easily get to it if he needed it. "Think its stripper money?"

"Give me the checklist of what we have to work with." Xanxus said in an unobtrusive way—he was simply curious. Tsuna couldn't help but notice he bypassed his follow-up question.

"Some of the stuff may seem completely pointless but I grabbed it anyways. Lighter, matches, nail-polish remover, hand sanitizer, baby powder, money, some first aid stuff, opium, I'm going to pretend that this is massage oil, a curling iron, a disposable camera with full film, thread, some type of wire, a couple of hunting knives and a sewing kit from here." Tsuna replied. "From those assassins I grabbed a few blank passports—obviously insurance—and fifteen hundred US dollars. They also had nine rounds of ammo for the Baby Eagle and seven for the Beretta 92. Oh, and the laptop."

"That should get us by for a few days. Grab the make-up bag too. You can use condoms to make explosives if you do it right." Xanxus smirked when Tsuna gaped at him, pink dusting over his cheeks. "If this really is an escort's car, I have a pretty good idea what's in the trunk already. I'll spare you from going through it though. Wouldn't want your virgin eyes to be scarred any more than you already have been."

"What's wrong with being a virgin?" Tsuna blurted before he could stop it. His hand smacked over his face with a resounding smack. Xanxus barked with laughter again and Tsuna's face burned.

"You're what? Sixteen?" Xanxus asked.

"Seventeen," He mumbled.

"Seventeen and you haven't had sex yet…" Xanxus smirked, "You have no idea what you're missing."

Tsuna glared at him—there were too many wounds for this, "This subject drops, now."

"Alright, alright. I'm not judgin'. I'm just sayin'. Sex is one of the pleasure's we're allowed in this life." Xanxus replied. "I'll have to show you what you're missing one of these days." Tsuna's eyes widened at the implications and before he could stop it, his mind spit images up of Xanxus being buried balls deep inside of him. He averted his eyes and decided to instead look at the passing rock face reflecting the glow of the moon, willing his body to cool off. It would do no good to get aroused right now. He'd have time for that later.

As Tsuna cleared his mind, he also worked on organizing the laptop case so that it would carry more than just the laptop. He could use it to get into contact with Haru who was unlikely at Verde's at this time of year. Midori High let out two weeks before Namimori High did but their graduation ceremonies were at the same time and that was… Tsuna looked at the clock which displayed the date and time… two weeks from today.

That was more than enough time.

"So what happened with you?" Xanxus asked, startling Tsuna out of his silence.

"What do you mean?" Tsuna asked, slipping the strap over his shoulder and adjusting it so that it sat the bulk of the pack sat on his thigh and making it so the strap wouldn't get tangled with the seat belt when—if—he decided to put it on.

"You used to be so… tiny." Xanxus frowned. He had to know. This wasn't the same Sawada brat that he was before.

"Time changes people…" Tsuna replied vaguely. "I got a girlfriend, broke up with her in the most excruciating of ways, got kidnapped a couple of times, lifted the Arcobaleno curse—I've been playing Verde, by the way, in case Mammon never told you," Tsuna shifted a bit.

"Oh, I heard. I want full details on that later." Xanxus said flatly. "Vongola has been trying for decades to get that one on our side. I want to know why he would change his mind now of all times."

Tsuna smirked but continued. "My most recent accomplishment was working on arranging a meeting with Vendice to set my Mist free…" Tsuna looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh, I don't know if this is what you mean by ' _what happened_ ' but we've all claimed our first taste of blood."

"It doesn't seem like it bothers you that much… the bloodshed I mean." Xanxus remarked.

"I've acknowledged it as a part of this lifestyle… and if I want to protect my Family, I have to. My days of playing Don are over. If I'm going to purify the darkness that's corrupted the Mafia through the timeline, I've learned I have to stop hiding from it and jump straight in the middle of it all." Tsuna tilted his head and leaned into his palm, smirking coldly at Xanxus. "I've even made a list of the people I want to get rid of first—my own blacklist. It's rather long but I'm not going for them all at once."

"Volkov was on your list," Xanxus accused.

"Zarkov is as well, the fucking mongrel." Tsuna growled. Xanxus felt the darkening aura wrapping around Tsuna like a vice. "I'm finishing what Ottavo started and Nono screwed up." Xanxus was aware that Tsuna had the right to feel bitter towards his surrogate father but the blame wasn't his alone. "No, that's unfair… Nono didn't screw it up, his outside advisor did." Tsuna said, his voice morphing into something deceptively calm. His eyes glowed eerily in the darkness and Xanxus smirked to himself despite feeling the cruelty that this Mafia Don—because he certainly wasn't a child anymore—could potentially give.

The drive fell silent after that. Neither of them knew what to say and even if they did, it would have ruined the compatibility that overcame them. The low thrum of the engine was all there was between them. It passed quickly, though, and before either of them knew it, they were approaching a rather large overhang—Krasnoyarsk the sign read in Russian lettering. Unfortunately that was all Tsuna could make out before Xanxus made a sharp left.

"Well, we're almost there." Xanxus said. "How good are your guardians at picking up changes in plans?"

"Pretty good at it… why?"

"There are two major airports here and a railway junction. Zarkov has the airports under lock-down but the railway might let a few stowaways catch a ride. One of the junctions passes a train that heads directly to Berlin. We can use those passports there." Xanxus replied.

"Sounds like a plan… but first things first." Tsuna slumped back in his seat.

"Yeah, you're right. We should probab—" Whatever Xanxus was going to say was cut off when the sound of metal scraping against metal tore through the air like nails on a chalkboard. Xanxus's eyes blazed furiously as the six silver Mustangs began matching his speed. "Fuck." He grit out.

Tsuna's eyes widened in shock. "Think it's Zarkov's men?"

"Wouldn't surprise me." Xanxus said between clenched teeth. "Buckle up, brat, we're going to lose them." Xanxus said with a feral grin as he shifted gears before slamming down on the gas pedal. Tsuna felt his body slam backward against the leather seat and he tensed against it as his wide caramel eyes met a shotgun now aimed directly for him. "Get down!" Xanxus ordered and Tsuna undid his seatbelt and slid forward until he was slouching. A moment later, the windows on both sides of them shattered as a bullet flew into the car.

"Just what I fucking need." Xanxus griped, sharply turning the corner. Tsuna had to dig his fingers into the leather of the seat to keep from falling onto Xanxus's lap. Xanxus pulled out one of his X-guns and fired out Tsuna's window. Vaguely, the smell of smoke and the sound of crunching metal caught his attention before they faded into the background.

"Can you get to a road where there isn't as many turns?" He asked over the rolling gunfire that surrounded them from the remaining five cars.

"I can get somewhere with curves instead of sharp turns if that's what you mean." Xanxus replied, flicking his hand over the stick to change gears before breaking and turning sharply. Once again, he slammed on the breaks before flooring the gas pedal and sharply changing directions, bypassing the enemy.

"Close enough," Tsuna's fingers grazed the automatic switch for the windows, rolling down what was left so he wouldn't get cut when he slid out.

Tsuna undid his seat belt before maneuvering with cat-like grace so that he could slide out of the window. "Keep this metal death trap steady. I don't want to fall off."

"Then why the hell are you—" Whatever Xanxus had been saying was cut off when another round of gunfire reverberated almost painfully in their range of hearing. Tsuna gripped down on the roof of the car and slid out with cat-like accuracy before he allowed his Will to envelope him.

Normally, Xanxus would have been all for Tsuna putting himself in the line of fire because it meant that he had actually learned something but in this case, he was more irritated that the little shit was doing something that could get him killed.

Tsuna used his flames to keep from falling off—keeping them as a source of balance instead of materializing them directly as it would result in burns—as Xanxus did another sharp turn, knowing that if he kept it up for too long it would create damage to his hands—most likely in order to knock his scrawny ass off the top of the car for even attempting to do something like this—before he looked up, just in time to see an enemy land on the trunk of the car. "Not so fast…" Tsuna said in a level, low tone that was drowned out. His ignited hand resided on the metal top of the car as he stretched out his leg in a sweeping kick.

It collided with the guy's calf, the bone snapping with a sickening crunch, before he toppled off. Tsuna watched blankly as the guy collided with the car behind him which soon lost control before hitting a tree and exploding from a punctured gas tank, most likely, and taking one more with him. The agile brunette kicked off of the black Corvette and landed on a sleek Mustang that trailed on the side of them. He had landed on the hood and held his hands out in front of him, letting his flames ghost of over the shimmery metal before he jumped up, landing on the roof of the red Corvette that Xanxus was still driving.

His intuition flared in warning when a car pulled up beside them and he narrowly dodged a bullet aimed for his lung. Before he could react to it, though, the window on the driver's seat exploded into shards when a flickering bullet, laced with Sky flames, connected with the driver's head. The car spun out of control before ramming into the side of the cliff and bursting into flames, repeating what had happened to the other mustangs.

Tsuna surveyed his surroundings one last time before he carefully slid back into the car and clicked his seat belt back into place. Catching Xanxus's narrowed gaze, he shot a friendly smile at him. "Are you going to drive or what?"

"You and I are going to have words when we get to a hotel…" Xanxus snarled.

"If we aren't turned into Swiss cheese that is… look!" Tsuna motioned at the side-mirror where a helicopter was just coming into their range of sight. Tsuna grabbed his supply bag and tightened it around his shoulder.

"What are you planning now?" Xanxus asked, swerving to avoid a round of bullets aimed at the car.

"Focus on driving," Tsuna said evenly. "…and pray that there's soft coverage when we jump…" He finished under his breath. Grabbing one of the hunter's knives, he dug it into the metal and reached into the back of the car. Grabbing what felt like metal, he pulled it forward and emerged victorious—he had been expecting something else but a crowbar would do just fine. He reached back again—unsure why—but smirked when he felt a roll of duck-tape.

Maneuvering back into the front seat was easy but now, he knew, came the hard part. "What do you plan on using that shit for?" Xanxus asked, slamming on the breaks and twisting the steering wheel.

"Trust me," Was Tsuna's reply. Before he could elaborate, Tsuna used his small size to his advantage and leaned down, feeling for Xanxus's foot. "When I say, move your foot off of the gas," Tsuna commanded. Taking the strip of tape, he wrapped it around the bottom of the petal and put the curve of the crow-bar right beside Xanxus's foot. "Now!"

Not wanting to piss off his future boss when he was that close to his crotch, Xanxus obeyed and moved. Tsuna positioned the crow-bar between the now floored petal and steering wheel to keep it from moving. For extra measure, he wrapped a strip of tape around the metal and moved back. "Jump," Tsuna said, looking up at Xanxus.

"Have you lost your—" He was cut off by a round of gunfire that they were unable to dodge. The bullets lodged through the roof, almost tearing it away.

"You were saying?" Tsuna asked breathlessly.

The Xanxus opened his door and looked down at the passing scenery. "You're fucking insane, you know that?" Xanxus breathed. He kicked off of the side of the Corvette and launched over the guard. Tsuna followed his actions and they were both left airborne and flightless.

"Give me your hand!" Tsuna called out, reaching for Xanxus's outstretched hand. Calling on his flame once again, Tsuna let his Will flare once more, igniting around him and turning the two of them into nothingness before he materialized four feet above the forest floor. They landed with thuds and the sound of air leaving their lungs was what brought them back to reality.

In the distance, the sound of a car breaking through the guard-rail could be heard. They both shifted, looking at each other with shock before the sound of an explosion wracked through the forest. The click of the helicopter faded away after a bit and Tsuna let out a breath.

And then they both promptly burst out laughing.

"You fucking nut job," Xanxus said, shaking his head exasperated, a bloodthirsty smirk on his lips. "You are bat-shit insane… I think I'm starting to love this side of you, mini-boss. How did you come up with that? More over… how did you know we'd survive?"

"I didn't…" Tsuna admitted. "But I didn't have time to over-think it…" Tsuna added before his expression fell and he swayed a bit. "Nngh… remind me never to do that with two people again… owowowow."

"Come on, Sawada… we'd better get out of here before the authorities search the place for the missing survivors."

* * *

"Repeat everything you just said and ignore any interruptions," Hayato said sharply, holding down a button until Bianchi's voice rolled through the receiver.

" _About half an hour ago, a cherry red Corvette was reported missing and we all know how Tsuna has a nasty little need for speed. Twenty minutes ago, the same Corvette was run off of a cliff about_ _a quarter of_ _a kilometer away from Krasnoyarsk. No bodies were found but by the time the flames were extinguished, they were hot enough to have incinerated not only the metal but any bodies inside. They checked the surrounding area but found nothing—no tracks, no scents, nothing. They've registered potentially two people dead._ "

"But you don't know for sure that it was Xanxus and Sawada," Squalo cut, eyes flashing dangerously.

" _No but my contact was keeping watch on the surveillance cameras_ _at the airport_ _and identified them from the recording. He covered their tracks for them so the local authorities don't catch on to them since I know just how harsh they can get and not trying to make anything of it but your boss is starting to gain an appearance to him._ " Somehow, they knew that Bianchi wasn't talking about Xanxus.

"That doesn't necessarily mean that they are dead." Bel sniped.

" _No but Zarkov's men seem to believe that they are. It's up you to you, Hayato. Do you want me to stick around Baley? Because I will if you want me to._ "

"I'm thinking, hold on," Hayato replied automatically. If he just assumed that both of them were dead and they were still alive, he'd be cutting their lifeline—however flimsy—but at the same time, if he kept resources available where they were visible, things would be twice as difficult. "Alright," Hayato said finally. "Fall back and await further orders but have your contacts keep their eyes peeled without notifying Zarkov about it and make sure to stick around the back-alleys. It's too soon to cut the lifeline yet and I don't want to leave either of them hanging. It'll be difficult but you'll manage. If you can get in contact with any of father's old connections, use them to your advantage because as much as I want to use the grunts for assistance, this is too sensitive to be put in the hands of the lackeys."

" _What's that boss-radar telling you this time, Hayato?_ " Bianchi asked.

"That…" Hayato paused before exhaling sharply. "That… things are only just starting to get hot."

* * *

Reborn rolled onto his side and threw a pillow over his face, wanting nothing more than to scream in frustration. Why had he said those things to Tsuna? They were harsh—especially to a boy who was forced to act against his nature. He knew that and hadn't stop hating himself for it. "You know, Viper told me it was bad but I didn't think it was this bad, kora." Colonnello remarked from the doorway.

"Go away. I don't want to talk to you." Reborn growled menacingly—at least it would have been if he were dressed in his usual attire but right now, he was in a simple t-shirt and sweats and his hair was tussled.

"Well too bad because I want to talk to you, kora. Lal is at a meeting and Iemitsu is being debriefed. I caught enough of it to connect the dots." Colonnello's eyes flashed, sharpening into slits. "It wasn't your fault, you know."

"You don't know the full story behind it." Reborn said, rolling over.

"Well then tell me, kora." He acted as if it was really such a simple concept… maybe it was. Maybe Reborn was just over-thinking things. Maybe…

Well what could it hurt? Colonnello was… an ally—a _trustworthy_ ally.

Against his better judgment, Reborn found himself talking to the blonde that he reluctantly acknowledged as his friend and comrade. "Tsuna and I got into an argument that escalated and quickly got out of hand. It went from being student and teacher to Don and Advisor to something cold and dark really fast. Some things were said... and he left."

"What all was said, kora?" Colonnello sat on the chair beside his bed, leaning into his palm. No judgment flickered in his eyes, only honest curiosity and Reborn was grateful for that.

Reborn flinched—something terribly out of character for him. It just added to how beat up about Tsuna's MIA status he was. "I told him the truth—if I found someone more suited for the position of Mist Guardian I could advise the Ninth to change them out. He said that I couldn't control who he chose as his elements and that if I did, I'd be the reason the Ninth would have to look for a new heir."

"And? How'd you reply?" Colonnello paused. "…kora." It seemed to be added as an afterthought and Reborn snorted at his partner-in-crime's antics.

"I told him that I've had curses spit at me from the people whose lives I took and that that hardly bothered me." Reborn admitted.

"That's it?" Colonnello asked, flabbergasted. "Reborn, you're fighting with him like an overdramatic teenager, kora. I know that the hormonal fluctuations are a bitch but you are in dire need of getting laid." Reborn looked away. "No way… that's it, isn't it? You want Tsuna. Does he know, kora?" Reborn gave him a blank expression. "Wow, kora. And I thought I was in denial. Why didn't you tell him?"

"I'm an assassin, in case you haven't forgotten." Reborn said sharply. "Tsuna openly said he wouldn't submit to a—" Reborn's mouth clamped shut a second later.

"A what?" Colonnello asked. "A killer?" When Reborn looked away, Colonnello smirked. "Change his mind then, kora."

"How, pray tell, would I do that?" Reborn asked, eyes glazing with a yellow hue for a moment.

"Simple… give into your desires. Have you even had sex since you had the curse lifted, kora? I mean seriously…."

"No, I haven't. I've been tutoring Tsuna, remember? I don't have time for that kind of thing." Reborn said lowly. "And if I do that, he'll shatter. You know just how dark my so called ' _desires_ ' can get."

"This isn't just a simple lust frenzy is it?" Colonnello asked. "He's tied you down completely and he doesn't even realize it." Reborn said nothing and the blonde breathed through his nose, the air leaving him with a hiss. "Have you accepted that you're in love with him, kora?"

"What?"

"Acceptance." Colonnello said levelly. "You've already gone through all of the other stages… it's time for you to follow through with the acceptance."

Acceptance…

' _If only it were that easy…_ ' Reborn thought bitterly. Because he knew it wasn't. It couldn't be.

Could it?

* * *

Xanxus should have predicted that this would happen. Really. The kid wasn't looking really good from the start. Whether it was exhaustion from hunger—considering they didn't have time to stop and eat—or it was exhaustion from pulling off that teleportation ability with two people or even the phantom effects of the vertigo-inducing drug, Xanxus didn't know, but he should have known that Tsuna was pushing himself until his breaking point. The brunette was currently unconscious, sleeping in Xanxus's arms and seeming so fragile.

Maybe it was the way he all but folded up in Xanxus's hold. Maybe it was the way his cheeks were flushed with a fever that was pretty high and his skin, where they were touching, was hot against Xanxus'. Either way, Xanxus knew that at this rate, the boy wasn't going to last.

Luckily they hadn't been all that far from the city. Xanxus checked into a hotel, and unfortunately, a love hotel, using a false name, paying for one night in the cheapest room they had—luckily it had two beds—and then promptly deposited the brunette on the bed beside the bathroom. "Stupid kid," Xanxus grumbled. Xanxus sighed. This wouldn't do any good. He could hotwire another car—that wasn't the problem. The problem was Tsuna currently had a fever—medium grade—and he wasn't too sure about the cause of it.

He grabbed the bag and scrawled through the items, checking off mentally what he could use and couldn't, out of habit. He opened the first aid kit and scowled at the overwhelming scent of menthol that filled his nostrils when he held up a head compress. Pulling the plastic away, he brushed away Tsuna's bangs and pressed it to the boy's forehead and immediately the boy's expression lightened.

' _He's cute…_ ' Xanxus thought. Xanxus's fingers trailed from his bangs to the length of his hair… what was it with long hair? He had threatened to castrate Squalo when he was going to cut it because he liked seeing his Rain with long hair. Now, Tsuna had long hair that cut off at the curve of his spine… and he couldn't resist touching it. It was so soft. ' _Tch. Stop thinking shitty thoughts like that…_ ' He lectured himself. ' _Sawada is nothing more than a brat. Always has been and always will be… hm? His clothes are wet…_ ' Xanxus frowned. ' _I need to get some clothes for the both of us… I saw a shopping outlet not too far from here. Should I…?_ '

If he left him in his moist-with-sweat clothes, he'd get sick… well… sick _er_ … but at the same time… Xanxus sighed. There was no happy medium, was there? Shrugging out of his Varia jacket and taking off his hair ornaments, he set them on the table and slid his Varia Ring off of his finger. His scars faded quite a bit and if he played things out right, he would be able to find a hoody.

Moving on the left side, Xanxus undid the buttons to the jacket Tsuna had stolen and shoved it off of his shoulders. Tsuna's skin glowed eerily and captivating in the dim lighting—milky and soft like a peach or silk… but it wasn't unmarred. He had scars littering his abdomen and subconsciously, Xanxus reached out with his hand to trace them, only to freeze when he realized what he was doing. Tsuna was too pure for seasoned hands like his—even with his scars.

Hah. _Seasoned_ was what one called it when they couldn't face the fact that they had taken so many lives that they were cursed to dream of the screams of the people whose lives they had taken. Xanxus had always felt at home with the darkness and slept peacefully in blankets of blood and no matter how predatory this boy was, Tsunayoshi was as pure as they came in this dark, dank world. Xanxus continued to undress the teenager—which wasn't overbearing task to do.

"Nngh… ah…" Tsuna stirred and Xanxus felt his eyes widen slightly in shock. He'd never heard the boy make _that_ sort of sound before.

It was arousing.

' _It's something in the air,_ ' Xanxus snarled in his mind. ' _That's the only reason why I would be viewing my former enemy in such a light. Stop. Thinking. About. It._ ' Xanxus grabbed Tsuna's wrist and his eyes widened slightly at how delicate such powerful hands could feel.

One day.

One. _Fucking_. Day.

He had been in the boy's presence for _one day_ and in that short amount of time, Tsuna had displayed only the ability to lead and to kill. How was it that a trained killer could be so fucking pure?

How was it that Xanxus was captivated so easily and so bloody quickly?

' _This boy is going to drive me mad… I just know it._ ' Xanxus thought as he used the sheets to cover Tsuna's lower body. While he'd already seen the boy bare before, he knew that if he woke up while he was gone, it wouldn't do him well to be left nude as he was. ' _I should leave a note…_ ' He thought.

Xanxus grabbed the notepad on the table and scribbled down a quick note in Japanese. [ _Went to get some things, be back soon._ ] Short, sweet and to the point—just how Xanxus liked it.

 ** _Tsuzukeru_**.

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	6. Chapter 6

**_Updated 11/20/13_ **

* * *

"Fuck me!" Xanxus hissed.

" _Boss?_ " That was Squalo.

Tsuna's eyes narrowed into slits. "Hayato," Tsuna said, pushing smaller, full sized mattress off of the bed and sliding it over to the window. He repeated the process with the box spring and shoving it against the door. "I know that you want to head out all cocked and ready to go but I need you to hold off a little bit longer. Something just came up and we have to go back underground but don't cut off our lifeline just yet. We'll come back up for air and when we do, be ready to move because Zarkov will be as well."

" _Tsuna? What's going on?_ " Takeshi asked.

"Zarkov's men. They found us." Tsuna replied. "The notification that we were assumed dead must have been a decoy. Remember my instructions, Hayato. I'm counting on you." Tsuna pressed the power button and shoved it into the bag with the charger. "How long do we have?" Tsuna asked Xanxus as he cut the gas-line leading from the wall to the heater at the base of the window. The mattress covered the heater but the line was still visible.

"I'd say thirty seconds max." Xanxus replied, pulling his jacket on and tucking his weapons in place.

"That's plenty of time." Tsuna murmured, pulling out the Baby Eagle and strapping it to his thigh before he sprayed the nail-polish remover in a line leading from the bathroom to the mattress. "Get in the bathroom." Tsuna commanded.

"They'll have blocked off the window." Xanxus pointed out.

"That's why I'm creating a diversion." Tsuna said, ripping the shade off of the lamp. There was a thump at the door and Tsuna shoved the lamp to the side. Tsuna and Xanxus moved in sync, spinning into the bathroom and slamming the door just as the lamp hit the puddle of nail-polish remover. The shockwave that the explosion left was enough to knock the door off of its hinges but Tsuna and Xanxus had both stepped out of the danger zone. Tsuna and Xanxus coughed as acrid smoke filled the bathroom. The two of them crawled out of the window and landed on their feet outside…

…and then took off running.

The chase was on, they knew. Their pursuers were hot on their tail and they had a limited amount of time to escape. It would be better if there was more crowd to get lost in but at the moment, they were on the slummy side of town.

They would have to improvise.

There was a prickle at the base of Tsuna's neck. Tsuna jerked to the side just in time for a bullet to fly past his head. "Fuck!" Tsuna hissed, his adrenalin peeking slightly. "We need a car."

"Or an enclosed space." Xanxus stopped abruptly, grabbing Tsuna's arm and jerking him down an alley-way.

They both stopped and pressed against opposite sides of the alley and masked their presences. The shadows hid them fairly efficiently.

"Where did they go?" A man asked.

"They cut down here." Another said.

The two of them inched in and Tsuna and Xanxus moved forward at the same time. They grabbed the men from behind and snapped their necks fluidly and quickly. They both nodded at one another before taking off in a sprint again, well aware of the people that were still following them.

"This is getting us nowhere." Tsuna panted.

"Split and meet back at the center of the back-alleys."

"Agreed."

The thing Tsuna liked about Russia was that there was a lot of uneven ground. Instead of leveling the land, more often than not buildings were just built on the land as it was so that meant that people where actually walking on the roof of a building when they walked on the sidewalk and because there were few, if any, fault lines in Siberia, the cities were built in layers with little to no risks.

And that's why Tsuna liked it.

It made it easy to escape assassins who were hot on his tail.

Tsuna skid to a stop and launched himself to the right while Xanxus continued down the path he was on before. Tsuna kicked off of the wall and scrambled up the side of the building before vaulting over a fence. Hearing the footsteps behind him, Tsuna picked up the pace, dropping to the ground to dodge an onslaught of bullets all aimed to kill him.

Tsuna launched forward again and kicked off of the edge of the building, rolling to break his fall before skidding to a halt when he came to a dead end. He cursed under his breath but he didn't even get the first word out when something hard collided with the back of his head, driving him to his knees and then onto his stomach. He felt the familiar sensation of someone grabbing his hair and forcing him up. Tsuna reached for the hand in an attempt to lessen the pain.

The brunet jerked back before someone grabbed his chin and forced his lips to part. "Now, now, sweetie, don't mind the grogginess in the beginning. This drug will make you feel nice and hot." Something was forced into his mouth and the hand that grabbed his chin clamped over his mouth and nose, another rising to rub his throat in swallowing motions.

The liquid slid down Tsuna's throat in a slimy, unsavory sort of way. It didn't have a taste but it made him sick nonetheless. A jolt of fire ran through his veins, scorching his body as it began metabolizing. Just as the slimy sack of nasty had said, his eyes began to glaze and his vision doubled but the heat only increased. ' _Wh—_ ' His thought cut off when a pulsation wracked through his body.

His cheeks flushed as he was left aching in a foreign sort of way. The grips on his hands hadn't disappeared and the chain around his neck was yanked forward. His legs gave out from the strain but the man who had forced the drug down his throat tilted Tsuna's head up to get a better look at him.

"Hey, he's a cutie…" He purred, stroking Tsuna's lips in a mockingly caring manner.

Mustering all the strength he could, when the man drove his fingers into his mouth, he bit down on them. Hard. He tasted the man's blood and he knew his blunt teeth would leave an imprint for days—possibly weeks. He didn't let go until he was slapped hard enough for his head to loll back. His cheek swelled, burning with a reminder that he should do what they said or end up worse off. Tsuna couldn't hear what they were saying anymore since his blood was absolutely pounding in his ears now. It was probably to wait until the drug took full effect but Tsuna wasn't going to wait that long.

Tsuna shifted suddenly before sliding his legs out in front of him. His back was pressed against the cool stone wall and his sweat-slicked palms were pushing against the rock. His knees were drawn up to his chest and if anyone looked at him, it would look as if he was trying to spare himself the humiliation of being bare or he was crying but in reality, he was simply putting up an illusion of such.

But that was only if he got it done before whatever this drug was kicked in at full force. His vision was still blurry and his body hot but if that's all it really did, he could live with that. It was foreign but bearable. A spasm rocked through Tsuna's body and for a moment his muscles ceased up. He shuddered, biting down on his tongue to keep any sounds from escaping before returning to his work. When the head of the screw finally came undone, his time was up.

The men surrounded him and forced him forward again, not noticing that the head of the screw was undone yet. The same guy who he had bit walked forward and grabbed a fistful of hair. "Alright, bitch, if you bite this, I'll shove this knife in your ear." He held up a pick-like knife that was long and thin.

Tsuna watched through hazy eyes as he undid the zipper. _'You know… for the record, these bastards aren't my type_.' Tsuna thought wryly as he jerked to the side and freed his hand lashed out, grabbing the man's throat. "How about if I rip it off instead?" Tsuna asked in a venomously sweet tone. The man looked up at him in horror when Tsuna pointed his companion's gun at him. "Did Zarkov send you?" Tsuna demanded.

"N-No… h-his m-mistress did! He said that there was a brunet and his companion n-needed s-some roughing up!"

"Does Zarkov know about it?"

"N-no."

"Good." Xanxus said from behind the man who had forced Tsuna onto his knees before pulling the trigger to the gun. Tsuna moved just as the others moved to flee and twisted one of their necks. Xanxus and Tsuna both moved at the same time, grabbing the men's arms and kicking them so that their elbow joints bent in the opposite intended direction. The sickening crunch and their pained screams tore through the alleyway like a hot spoon through butter.

Xanxus watched as Tsuna's expression twisted into something emotionless and cruel. Xanxus blinked and shifted, his thoughts echoing loudly in the refines of his mind. ' _So this is… Vongola Decimo._ ' He thought.

Tsuna looked back at him, his cheeks flushed with exertion and whatever drug they gave him. "Come on. Let's see if we can get a place to stay." He grabbed Xanxus' wrist.

 _Ba-dump_.

Xanxus looked down at the hand curled around his wrist with gentleness that he didn't deserve. ' _It's the weather. It has to be… the change is fucking with my mind._ ' He thought as he followed a dazed Tsuna through the alleyways in search of a new hotel.

This new one was multiple floors and a bit more expensive but it was more secure than the one before. As soon as the elevator doors closed, the last of his restraints snapped and Xanxus pinned Tsuna against the wall to practically ravage his mouth. A strangled whimper, needy and hot, created electricity that sparked over his flesh. ' _Or maybe it's because when we're both hyped on blood and adrenalin, I know I can't resist him._ ' Xanxus thought.

Xanxus wasn't a stranger to sex. Being introduced to the Mafia at a young age made for an interesting purpose in life. It wasn't unusual to see twelve year olds being surrounded by a bunch of high-grade escorts—the ones that hung off of a Don's arm at political gatherings and such, not the hookers that usually hung around the slammers to get a low paid fuck—or exotic dancers that kept some level of decency when they preformed. He just so happened to be one of those fortunate kids.

So, needless to say, by age fifteen, he was already having hot, dirty sex with women twice his age. Not that it mattered much to the women because mostly all of them had one thing to say about him and that was that he was quite well hung for his age.

Still, though… the thought of doing this with Tsuna was unnerving him. It almost made him nervous.

Almost.

A hand traced up Tsuna's thigh and over the curve of his back. One of Tsuna's hands was pinned above his head while the other was wrapped around Xanxus' nape, urging him to continue his ministrations. ' _When he kissed me… I felt like I couldn't stop._ ' Tsuna thought as Xanxus' hand traced over his ass again and he gave a sharp squeeze. Tsuna gasped in response. ' _I felt like he couldn't stop._' The both pulled apart long enough to get into the room—which was, thankfully, just across from the elevator—and close the door. ' _Which was all well enough._ ' Tsuna thought as Xanxus shoved his shirt and jacket off of his shoulders. ' _Because I wouldn't have stopped anyways._ '

Their mouths molded together, this time Tsuna catching on to what was supposed to be done, and his fingers trailed through the soft, shadowy locks that spiked against his palm. Tsuna made another sound—a choked gasp—and Xanxus froze before smirking inwardly and letting his fingers trace over the spot he brushed against again and Tsuna's nails bit into his shoulder.

It was a spot that not very many people could touch—reserved only for lovers. It was on the inside of his thigh about three inches above his knee.

Tsuna moaned again when Xanxus shifted his thigh and brushed against that spot again, sending white flashes through his mind and making his body hotter than the drug had. No one had touched him there before because he had never been on the receiving end. It was such a strange sensation that sent chills through his body but it wasn't unpleasant. At some point during their rigorous kissing, they had moved so that they were on the bed and Tsuna was all but laying on top of Xanxus practically pinning him against the bed. Realizing their positions, Tsuna pulled away with a thin trail of saliva connecting them.

"Thought… you wouldn't… submit…" Xanxus teased breathlessly.

"Sh-shut up and… nngh… show me… that kiss again." Tsuna ordered, forcing their mouths together again. Their tongues wrestled in a molten hot kiss that sent both of their minds into white noise but neither of them were willing to give up the battle just yet. Xanxus groaned against Tsuna's mouth as their covered groins gently rubbed against one another's through their shields in just a bare circular motion that set spurts of heat up Tsuna's arched spine. The combination of rough friction and arousal running through both of them was almost enough for Xanxus to lose control—control that he had exercised too much of throughout his years—and Tsunayoshi wasn't even stopping it.

Xanxus trailed kisses down Tsuna's jaw and to his throat. Tsuna's head lolled back and he offered his throat to Xanxus in an absolute move of submission that sealed Xanxus's thoughts. Of course, Tsunayoshi wasn't even aware of what he had just done. Xanxus's touches were hot on his skin, forcing him to lose control of the situation, to submit. It terrified him but he couldn't bring himself to stop—whether or not it was because of the drug he didn't know and at this point, he didn't care either.

 _'So… so good!'_ He thought through the haze as Xanxus nipped at his collar-bone. Tsuna's glazed, and now glowing, amber eyes flickered up to meet Xanxus's smoldering red ones that all but begged for trust. Tsuna felt himself responding without his knowledge of it—who said he couldn't lose control every once in a while?

Tsuna's fingers ran over Xanxus's bare chest, realizing just how nude both of them were at this point. The two of them were left mostly bare to the world and Tsuna took that chance to overlook the sight in front of him. Xanxus was well toned for appearing only as an eighteen year old. Following Xanxus' example, Tsuna nipped and tease at his throat, occasionally leaving a mark or two. His fingers were light as they traced over the smooth scars. His scars didn't feel any different. They were darker shadows, faded onto the sun-kissed skin. They were soft under his touch, and no doubt Xanxus could feel every brush of flesh against flesh if his shuddering breath was any sign. Xanxus was, in a word, sinfully attractive, even with the scars.

Xanxus looked over Tsuna with appreciation. He was like a work of art with all of his marks on him… but he wasn't his yet. Xanxus tugged at the waist of Tsuna's jeans, and the brunette lifted his hips allowing them to be pulled from his body along with his boxers, blushing slightly and looking away. His leg lifted slightly in instinct, not used to being left so bare but when Xanxus settled between his legs, just as nude as he was, Tsuna felt his embarrassment fade.

Xanxus shifted his bare hips against Tsuna's, causing an unusually high amount of friction. Their focus was entirely on the feel of flesh on flesh, the friction when their hips met, making Tsuna arch slightly off the bed and moan in surprise when Xanxus rubbed both of their engorged members together. Their blood was pounding in their ears leaving it so the only sound they could hear was the other's moans, grunts or murmurs of approval when one of them moved a certain way.

Unfortunately (or was it fortunately? Tsuna was kinda' lost in a haze of lust and pleasure so he wasn't sure what it was considered) the friction wasn't enough to make either of them come, regardless of how much they wanted to.

Xanxus's hand trailed down over his shoulder in a feathery light touch down to his navel where he circled before going even lower. The click of a cap could be heard but Tsuna was too lost in the sensations to hear it.

Xanxus hovered over Tsuna, not actually touching him.

Two fingers, in one go, were pressed to his entrance and Tsuna stiffened slightly. Slicked and ready, Xanxus pressed them both inside of Tsuna and it required all of his strength not to scream out. The pain sent jolts of vibrations throughout his body, enhancing the heat almost. His hips shifted on instinct, angling so that Xanxus could get better access. Knowing what to do, he wrapped his other hand around Tsuna's throbbing, aching, cock and began to pump slowly.

Tsuna was so lost in the sensations it almost drove him insane. His long, dexterous fingers scissored and curled making Tsuna squirm slightly but the way Xanxus's legs were pinning his, he couldn't move. Tsuna's digits clawed at Xanxus's shoulders as he whimpered at the searing—pleasurably so—pain that sent sharp, hot tingles throughout his body.

Xanxus felt himself snap at the sight of Tsuna fucking himself on his fingers as he prepared him. He licked his lips at the sight, attempting to gain back some of the lost moisture to his mouth. Noticing the tell-tale signs of climax, he pulled away from Tsuna and positioned himself against Tsuna's previously stretched entrance. Tsuna felt his eyes widen but before he could protest, Xanxus was ravaging his mouth again. In one solid thrust, Xanxus eased himself into Tsuna, grunting at how tight he was. He felt as if he was pulled into the younger boy—something that would have amused him if he weren't so focused on feeling right now.

Tsuna arched against Xanxus, his nails digging into his back and leaving angry red marks in its wake.

It was too much, each thrust, each scratch, each action… it was tore through them, searing into their memory. It was everything but at the same time, it was nothing. Even as they climaxed, reaching that point of no return, the two of them knew that this wasn't the last time they'd have sex… but it was the first… and it meant everything to both of them.

* * *

Tsuna was laying on Xanxus's back, their legs intertwined and arms crossed over his shoulders. He was still coming off of Cloud Nine from their mind-blowing… _session_ and it left his body thrumming with endorphins. Tsuna smiled, tilting his head slightly and making a sound of content. "What are you humming about?" Xanxus asked, moving so he could look back at the little Don.

"Nothing." Tsuna said, an innocent grin on his lips. "Just happy."

"Happy." Xanxus stated. "Why?"

"Secrets are endearing to have, Xanxus." Tsuna teased. "I won't tell you," He moved so that their lips were only a centimeter apart. "Unless you pay up." Xanxus rolled and Tsuna found himself underneath the taller assassin again, their lips connected and tongues wrestling. Tsuna chuckled against his lips, amber eyes dancing with mischief.

"You're a cheat," Xanxus said huskily, pulling away. "But we should probably come into contact with HQ again."

Tsuna huffed and sighed. "They were tracking the laptop." Tsuna finally said. "Or at least, she was. The minute I turn it on, we're caught. We need a different way to get in contact with them."

"Yeah well I get the feeling our little stunt with Zarkov's men in the back-alleys is going to notify him all the same too." Xanxus sighed. "It looks like either way, we're up shit creek without a paddle."

"Not necessarily." Tsuna mused. "We can still get to the train station if we hotwire a car or jump on one of the subways."

"True." Xanxus offered. "When do you want to leave?"

Tsuna curled closer to Xanxus. "Let's stay for a bit longer.

* * *

The silence in the air was thick with tension and for the longest time, no one spoke. The only sound was the constant beep of a dead call.

"How fast can you be prepped for flight?" Hayato asked, looking up at Squalo with emotionless eyes. "It's time we stopped playing puppeteer and started getting involved personally. This means taking Zarkov's men down one by one if required but no matter how infamous he is, his organization is still large and we can't fight alone."

"What about what Tsuna asked us to do?" Takeshi asked.

"We'll get half of it done on the way there. I'll do my half right now but I want that flight yesterday, _caspisce_?"

"I'll get right on it." Bel said, standing up. It didn't take a genius to know what was going to happen now.

Shit was going to hit the fan.

_**_Tsuzukeru._ ** _

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	7. Chapter 7

**_Updated 11/20/13_ **

* * *

"How about a Porsche?"

"That's the same size as the Audi!"

"Tough shit." Xanxus said with finalization lacing his tone as he stepped forward and put the flat slab of iron in the window and jerked it to the side. The car alarm started to blare but Xanxus moved to cut it off. Tying the wires together, Xanxus slid into the front seat and looked up at Tsuna. "Are you getting in or what?"

"It's tiny." Tsuna complained. "And ugly."

"Porsches are not ugly. Chevelles are."

"You take that back right now, you bastard, or I'm cutting your balls off!" Tsuna hissed. "Chevelles are my babies."

"You got shitty taste in cars."

"No I don't." Tsuna countered. "I have a sexy Chevelle sitting at home in Italy."

"Sexy. Right. How is it sexy?" Xanxus asked.

Tsuna's lips curled into a smirk, "1969 Chevelle SS396 Hardtop Coupe with a few modern twists—starting with NOS tank, tracker GPS and nitrogen tires. Six cylinders that run off of signature Dying Will Flames and V8 power to top it all off."

Xanxus whistled. "Alright. I admit. That sounds pretty sexy. What color is it?"

"Black. There isn't any design but Verde made it so that it doesn't sound like it was modified. Actually, it doesn't even look like it either… which is good because I want to take it to Monte Carlo next year." Tsuna smirked.

"You're spoiled, you know that? Spoiled." Xanxus looked over at him.

"Nah. It was a consolation present." Tsuna said with a laugh.

"Really? For what?" Xanxus inquired.

"My first kill." Tsuna drummed his fingers against his cheek absently. Xanxus was starting to see that it was a thoughtful habit he'd picked up on from somewhere. "Reborn found out I didn't have a vice so he introduced me to Skull and told him to teach me about street racing. I picked up on it pretty quickly. That was the first car I built."

"Street racing is your vice… what else?" Xanxus asked.

"What's yours?" Tsuna countered.

"I build guns." Xanxus smirked slightly. "These two," He jerked his head towards his X-Guns, "Custom made when I was fifteen. Federico wouldn't let me buy my own so I came up with a loophole. He was _pissed_. So was the old man, for that matter. I got the hiding of my life."

Tsuna snorted, "Corporal punishment? Are you serious? Somehow I don't see you taking that."

"Oh, I didn't. I shot at Federico. They took my guns away _and_ locked me in my room. I snuck out but they didn't know that." Xanxus smirked.

"You were a horrible child." Tsuna commented.

"What about you? Haven't you ever disobeyed?" Xanxus asked.

"No, not really." Tsuna admitted. "I mean, not until lately." Tsuna laughed nervously and intertwined his fingers in his lap. "Reborn… he, uh… he's very strict." Tsuna looked down at his hands with a wry smirk. "Usually I listen to what he has to say but lately it seems like all he has to say is negative in some form or another."

"Like… like what? What do you mean?"

"…you know my Mist is in Vendicare, right?" Tsuna shifted and looked over at him. "Using the possession bullet that Estraneo put out." Tsuna tapped his thumbs together. "I've been working on a negotiation plan with Verde and Dino."

"Is that what that whole… 'trigger change' was about?" Xanxus asked.

"Yeah…" Tsuna took a breath. "A few months before the curse was broken, I came across a bit of information as to what happens to the Arcobaleno when their flames are no longer compatible with the pacifiers."

Xanxus frowned and looked over at him before looking back at the road. "And?"

"Hm?" Tsuna looked up.

"What happens to them?"

"Oh… they…" Tsuna cleared his throat. "They turn into Vendice."

"What?" Xanxus' eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You're shitting me. _That's_ what those shrink-wrapped mummies are?"

"Yep." Tsuna replied. "Awful, right?" Tsuna looked up at Xanxus. "That's why I have Verde on such a tight leash. I may not have liked him in the beginning but I've… I've grown emotionally attached to him and such a fate is cruel to all of them. They don't deserve punishment for being the strongest."

"Damn." Xanxus breathed. "That's… fuck. And how do you plan on using this information?"

"Verde is a trigger. If something happens to him, the information is widespread across the entire Underground. Vendicare will lose their power over the Mafia."

"You know that they are essentially stopping Dying Will Flames from becoming public knowledge, right?" Xanxus asked.

"It's not them entirely but they are part of it." Tsuna admitted. "The Vatican also plays a major role. I've already cleared this with them. They think that it's time Vendice is brought down a few pegs as well. Apparently there's a conflict of interests somewhere along the line. I didn't ask because I didn't want to know." Tsuna laughed nervously. "I haven't told Reborn yet." He added. "I don't know why."

"You scared?" Xanxus asked.

"Of what? Of _Reborn_?" Tsuna asked, his eyebrows shooting up. "No… _hell_ no. God, why would you—? Why would I be afraid of _Reborn_?"

"Because anyone with half a brain is?" Xanxus offered. "Or maybe because his track record is fucking _brutal_. He may have a sense of honor but that doesn't mean he won't put a bullet in a man's brain if he looked at him cross-eyed."

Tsuna snorted, "He's nowhere near that volatile." Tsuna commented. "I have a healthy respect for his abilities but I'm not afraid of him."

"Humor me—why?" Xanxus asked.

"Uh, because I spent the better part of three years sharing a room with him?" Tsuna offered. "Or maybe because I know he won't turn around and kill me in my sleep… honestly? I don't know why I don't fear him. I just don't, really. He's more like… a confidant. I trust him."

"You love him." Xanxus accused.

Tsuna stiffened. "Reborn. I love Reborn." Just saying the words made him want to laugh. "You're nuts." He said finally. "I don't love Reborn. It's… that's absurd! Why would I…? You realize he spent two out of those three years he shared my room as a baby, right? And I only figured out about the curse a year after the fact?"

"So?"

"So… _so_ it's impossible." Tsuna had been in love before, with Kyoko and his feelings towards Reborn were nothing like that.

Were they?

Actually, if he was honest about it, his feelings towards Xanxus were kind of the same as they were towards Reborn. Did that mean he was in love with Xanxus too?

Whatever trail his thoughts would have picked up on was cut off when there was a flash of silver from the corner of Tsuna's eye. "Get down!" Tsuna ordered, slumping down in his seat to dodge the bullet that tore through the Porsche they had stolen.

"I thought we already played this game." Xanxus cursed, swerving onto the exit-ramp. "Ah, fuck me!" He pulled up to a stop. Fucking rush traffic.

"Run." Tsuna threw open the door and launched himself forward through the maze of cars, knowing Xanxus wasn't all that far behind him. The two of them had run at high speeds, knowing their pursuers were hot on their tail even if they didn't appear to be. Tsuna moved to the edge and looked over to the buildings underneath the freeway. ' _Leap of faith…_ ' He thought before glancing back at Xanxus who nodded.

And then they jumped.

Tsuna hadn't landed as lightly on his feet as he would have hoped, instead being sprawled out on his hands and knees before he sprang back up and propelled himself forward again not even bothering to look back to know that Xanxus had landed beside him. Because of the vast amount of buildings and city setting, he knew that once he got to a crowded area, he could lose the groups behind them.

These types of people never worked alone, Tsuna thought as they vaulted through the city, slipping through the people without much trouble and masking their presence. They were bound to run into more people soon and when that happened, he knew they were screwed. They had the skill and power but lacked the time and weapons. Tsuna had the gun but a few tricks here and there weren't good enough. He was also at a disadvantage since he couldn't channel his flames for more than sixty seconds before it started burning away at his flesh.

Xanxus kicked off of the base of the building and repeated the action, going against the flow of gravity. Tsuna mirrored his actions and soon they were on higher rooftops, looking down as the assassins that were shadowing them looked around clueless as to where they had vanished to before the blonde looked up and the two trained Sky Guardians took off running again.

The sky above them was blood red as the morning sun touched it. No overcast and the moon was contrasting silver against the red morning light. There will be complications, his instinct hissed but Tsuna didn't have time to listen to the warnings properly. If he did, he would be caught and Russians were known for being the most ruthless in the underground.

Tsuna skidded to a halt before looking down at the curved counter between the up and down escalators. Without a second thought, he jumped, letting gravity do its job and pull him downwards before he landed on his feet and running through the subway tunnels.

Xanxus matched his pace, grabbing his arm and pulling him into a shaded dent that they hid in easily. The assassins ran past them and hesitantly, Xanxus slipped out and ran through the crowd, waiting for the doors to the subway to open before they stepped on board the underground train. "Do think we lost them?" Tsuna asked softly in Italian as to not be overheard by nosy strangers.

"Doubtful," Xanxus muttered, mirroring Tsuna's language choice and pulling him closer to take up less room. "When this subway lets off, we'll worry about it then."

"If we last that long," Tsuna motioned towards the car to the left of them where two burly looking guards were sifting through the passengers. They were dressed in authorities' uniform but the tattoos on their necks and hands said opposite things. The two burly men caught their gaze and motioned towards the door.

And that was all it took.

Tsuna and Xanxus waded through the crowd, moving from one car to the next until they reached the caboose of the subway. With only one option to spare, Tsuna moved to throw open the door but stopped when something ice cold and metal dug into the base of his skull. "That will be far enough, Vongola Decimo." Standing behind him was the pasty-faced mercenary that had caused them so much trouble from the very beginning.

Alfred Zarkov.

And the only word that he had to contribute to the situation summarized it perfectly. ' _Fuck._ '

* * *

"So what is this 'blacklist situation'?" Squalo asked as they boarded the plane.

A female voice erupted behind them. "Tsuna has a list of Families that he wants to take down to send a message to all corners of the Underground. He calls it his Blacklist. So far, he's taken down what remains of the Estraneo, a few branches of the Yakuza, one or two of the Triads and several groups on Italy. His targets are high profile trafficking rings, prostitution dealers, arms dealers and cold blooded murderers that go after children." The bloodthirsty looking woman spun her chair around and turned to look at them. "I hope you planned on inviting me. I want to test out my new weapon."

The girl was dressed in a pair of short black shorts and a black tube-top. On her left arm she had what looked like an automated armor with long, sharpened razors and perfected for killing. Violent violet cords of flame rolled through it and resembled wires where they were visible. Over her apparel, she wore a black cloak with shimmery beige fur rimming the hems. The hood was pulled up and she had a dark black visor on that looked like it had purple matrix coding scanning over the reflective surface.

"Haru," Hayato greeted. "I was wondering if you'd make it in time. His eyes narrowed. "This one is going to be bloody. Are you sure you don't want to sit this one out?"

"Hmph. I live for the taste of blood, Haya- _chan_."

"Tch… stupid woman. Don't call me by that obnoxious nickname." Hayato said with a smirk.

"Voii… who is this?" Squalo asked.

"Verde's handler." Hayato replied. "This is Haru. Haru, this is the Varia. Would you mind debriefing them while I call Cavallone?"

"Hm, about the Vendice situation?" Haru asked, standing up and taking her hood off to reveal choppy brown hair.

"That's right." Hayato said.

"Right. It is as I said." She said casually. "The Blacklist is a list of people Tsuna wants taken off of the map. It's quite bloody, really, but I can't complain. That's what we've been up to for the past two and a half years. That's why they are all bloodthirsty nowadays… most… of them at least. There are a few that aren't too keen on the idea of killing but it's all part of the game."

"And what's your role in all of this?"

"Unregistered assassin and handler." Haru replied. "I keep tabs on Verde until he joins the Vongola full time which… won't be until after the coronation." She sighed and tilted her head. "Takeshi," She looked at the Rain Guardian. "What happened while I was away?" And so Takeshi filled her in. When he was finished, she was nodding in thought. "That makes sense then. And Hibari is still digging?"

"We can manage without him." Takeshi assured.

"I wasn't worried about it." Haru said dismissively. "I think Tsuna's instinct is right though. I think she was playing them both."

"So what are you saying that this Felicia chick is the mastermind behind it all?" Squalo asked.

"Maybe… I'm not entirely sure." Haru frowned. She reached into her cloak and pulled out a cell phone. "Verde, it's Haru. I know you have a deadline to meet but I was hoping you could run one of your worldwide scans. See if you can find any prior connections between Demetrius and Alfred Zarkov and the Vongola. If the Vongola's system gives you any trouble, use my passcode. It will give you a list of names red-flagged by the Vongola including old aliases and whatnot."

" _I'll let you know if I find anything._ " Verde said before hanging up.

"Alright, thank you." Hayato said, closing his phone. "That was Cavallone. All's been set."

"You know, it's more likely that we're going to have Tsuna back before the deadline." Haru commented.

"Zarkov may have both the Tenth and Xanxus in his grasp." Hayato pointed out. "The last conversation we had with them ended with him telling us not to cut off any lifelines just yet and they sounded like they were in a hurry. I'd bet anything that they were ambushed and that the information we secured was crap laid out to let our guards down." Hayato's eyes narrowed into slits. "I don't know all of the details on their end but one thing's for sure. I'm done waiting. I'll blow the place to Venus if I have to. I want my Sky back."

Squalo reared back in surprise though perhaps he shouldn't have. He should have expected the amount of conviction, the amount of protective possessiveness that flared in their eyes. He knew, after all, better than he did before just what this Gokudera Hayato was capable of but it was still scary to see it firsthand.

' _One thing's for sure,_ ' Squalo thought. ' _I'm not making them my enemy in this lifetime._ '

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	8. Chapter 8

**_Updated 11/20/13_ **

* * *

Tsuna knew from the moment that Xanxus was led down a separate hallway that things were going to go downhill. He knew from the second that Zarkov closed the door to his bedroom— _his bedroom. Not a torture chamber… but they may as well been the same thing if his instinct was telling him right_ —and locked it securely. Zarkov wasn't in there for the moment but Tsuna was unnerved all the same. He was unsure of how much time had passed since he left but when Zarkov walked back in, Tsuna was tense, even as the Russian Don circled around him, leering at him like a tiger eyed its prey. When he wrapped an arm around his shoulders and buried his face against the back of his neck, inhaling his scent, Tsuna knew that things were going to get worse…

And there was no escape.

' _Oh no… this is bad. I have to get out of here! But… how?_ ' Tsuna screamed in thought but the arm wrapping around his shoulder prevented him from leaving. "Mm, sweet Tsunayoshi…"

"Let go of me!" Tsuna jerked away, lunging for the door but an arm caught his waist. He heard the sound of glass hitting the floor before a cold, flat surface was under his back and a thigh was forcedly separating his legs.

"There's no escape for you anymore, Vongola Decimo…" Zarkov leered. "I won't let you run."

"No… don't… don't touch me!" Tsuna screamed, his legs thrashing underneath the Russian Don.

"Now, now, don't be like that…" Zarkov said with mock-rejection lacing his tone. "You wouldn't want to hurt the one who's holding your life in his hands… would you?" His grip on his throat tightened and Tsuna froze beneath him, fear trickling into his eyes. "I _own_ you now, you little brat, now play nice and I'll consider letting Xanxus return to Italy still in one piece."

' _Xanxus…_ ' Tsuna thought, eyes closing when Zarkov's nails dug into his throat but didn't cut off his ability to breath. ' _That's right!_ ' Tsuna's knee thrust up and collided with Zarkov's groin before he shoved him away, lunging for the corner and pressing against it, Reborn's voice spinning sharply through his mind— _"When you find yourself in a position against someone who has the advantage over you, corner yourself. It gives you three things to work with. You have a wider range, a protective barrier and no openings for them to use unless they know how to nullify your flames."_ —' _Remind me to thank Reborn for his Spartan methods when I get out of this predicament._ ' Tsuna thought wryly as his captor stood up with fury in his expression.

Tsuna watched with cold calculation as Zarkov paced around him, eyes narrowing before a sinister smile split his features. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this." He raised his hand and pressed the button to his intercom. "Svetlana, would you mind bringing my ace?"

" _Right away, sir._ "

Tsuna felt his mouth settle into a frown. Ace? Zarkov had more? "I have to admit… when my men told me that they did it, I was surprised." Tsuna felt a sinking feeling of dread pooling in his abdomen as a familiar flame washed over him in a warming presence. Behind Zarkov, the wall shifted and moved away while the door opened and a cart covered by a cloth with some bulky items sticking out showed through—it didn't take a genius to calculate what was under the cover or why Xanxus was strapped to a metal bar that was being supported by two posts. Tsuna could barely stifle his rage and fear that combined into a sickly combination that tore away at his gut.

Reborn told him that no amount of training, no amount of emotional restraint could prepare him for the strain it took to watch as someone he cared for— _yes, he knew that now. He did care for Xanxus more so than himself_ —tortured right before his very eyes. He had been fortunate up until this point not to experience it but now… now he was going to see just how ruthless that kind of thing truly was.

"No!" Tsuna cried out, stepping forward and eyes widening when Xanxus's head snapped up from its limp state and for a brief moment, Tsuna swore he saw panic flare through his crimson eyes before they were closed off once again. "Let him go, Zarkov." Tsuna said menacingly, eyes flaring sunset when the Russian scum simply grinned a smug grin that was reminiscent of Reborn's when he beat him in a fight. ' _No, Reborn would never be this cruel…_ ' Tsuna thought. It was an insult to even think about comparing the two.

"Oh yes…" Zarkov made a motion and Tsuna felt something collide with the back of his knees and his arms were grabbed by two men—one for each side—while one stood on his legs and held his head in place by fisting his hair in their grip. Zarkov stepped forward and squeezed Tsuna's chin between his thumb and index finger. "Tell me, Decimo, do you know what a Picana is?" Zarkov asked. "It's a very useful device to keep on hand. The high voltage means the shocks are ample but the low current means they are less likely to kill the intended target… but it's painful enough that you'll wish it had."

Oh yes, Tsuna knew what they were well enough. He had even been the target of one once before. It was excruciating but not unbearable for set amounts of time. Tsuna glared defiantly at Zarkov with disgust rolling through his eyes.

Zarkov turned away from Tsuna, his back exposed in a mocking motion. Tsuna's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of what looked like a cross tattooed onto the back of his neck, "You don't deserve salvation." Tsuna said in a deceptively calm voice. "People like you deserve to rot in the deepest pits of hell and when my Vongola finally gets their hands on you, that's exactly where you'll be going." And then his eyes glazed with their amber hue.

Zarkov didn't say anything, instead motioning for water to be thrown on Xanxus and tapping the end of the rod against the restrained assassin's throat. Tsuna blacked out for a moment, his rage all consuming, but he forced the haze away in time to see Xanxus's chest rising and falling with deep, steadying breaths showing that he had been shocked a few more times during his haze. "You take a beating well… but does your companion?" Zarkov asked, motioning for Tsuna to be exposed as well.

If he couldn't break one, he'd break the other.

The men tore away at his shirt and forced him on his knees and exposed his back to Zarkov's view. "Such a pity you have scars at such a young age… shall I add to them?" He asked taunting before Tsuna felt his Intuition cackle with a warning.

Before he knew it, Tsuna felt something hot and sharp carve into his flesh. Tsuna clenched his teeth, his jaw tightening to stop from giving this bastard the pleasure of hearing his screams. He could feel the blade digging into his flesh, heated over an open flame to add to the pain. He could feel Zarkov twisting the blade to widen the cut as it got further down his back. When the blade withdrew, Tsuna was left panting raggedly before the searing, stabbing pain began again.

Xanxus watched with narrowed eyes and growing rage as his Tsunayoshi was carved into, the 'X' that Genkishi carved into his back more prominent than before. The smell of burning flesh and blood filled the air and Xanxus was powerless to stop it. The pain must have been unbearable for Tsunayoshi because his eyes glazed, returning to their normal brown hue and he slumped forward. Against his better judgment, Xanxus looked at the wound with practiced professionalism.

Zarkov was at least knowledgeable enough to miss any and all important nerves… but at this rate, Tsuna would bleed out. "You won't win this you know," Xanxus spat. "Vongola will always win in the end…"

' _But who is the winner now?_ ' Zarkov wanted to say. He wanted to gloat, to laugh in their faces. He wanted to sneer and spit on them. He had won! Vongola was _his_!

No… not yet. He still had to break him. Tsunayoshi was too defiant, too unwilling. He would have fun breaking him though. Just like he had utterly shattered Federico… and when he was done, he could kill him off in the most painful, most agonizing way he could think of.

But until then, he had to wait. He was going to lure them near before killing them off, one by one, and then he would have his reward—Tsunayoshi would finally submit to him. After all, unbreakable spirits weren't unbreakable when the foundation of their will was destroyed… and Tsunayoshi's foundation was the Family he treasured above all else.

And wouldn't it be a nice sight to see Tsunayoshi so utterly destroyed?

' _Yes… it would be a nice sight. One that I will enjoy immensely…_ ' Zarkov thought as a stream of flame shot out from the unconscious Tsuna's wrist. It caught his men and he watched with a growing sense of glee and excitement as the men restraining him screamed and burned. ' _I will break you, Vongola Decimo._ '

* * *

Pain was the first thing that Tsuna registered in his mind but he forced his flame to sooth throbbing sting by numbing his nerves. It was a dangerous thing to do considering he wouldn't be able to feel it when he started bleeding again but at the moment, he didn't have much of a choice. Throughout the process of numbing away the pain, Tsuna kept his eyes closed and looked through the veil of his lashes, surveying the room. There were two cameras angled at his position in the corner of the room and the burned corpses of the men he had reduced to melted lumps of flesh were left in the room as well. Xanxus was watching him intently—a gaze he could feel more than he could see—waiting for any signs of him waking up. Making sure his limbs were loose, Tsuna made it appear as if his movements were subconscious and reflexive.

They looked like ordinary twitches—a flicker of a finger, a flutter of his eye-lids or the unintentional curling of his toes—but in reality, they were all a part of his escape strategy. He was lacing the air with the deadlier edge of his Sky Flames. It was excerpt from Xanxus's ability to turn people to stone… only much more fatal to those that inhaled it. It targeted their lungs since they were inhaling the 'spores' of his flame. And what was even better, he could still control it the entire time by the miniscule movements that he had been making. The 'spores' never went anywhere near Xanxus.

Flamma Residue—or 'spores' as Tsuna has come to call it—was the remaining presence that someone leaves after someone ignites their flame in a set area. The range of the 'spores' depended on how strong the flame itself is. Only hyper-sensitive Sky users—or people who have a form of Vongola Intuition—can sense these 'spores'.

And Tsuna was the only known person who could control them.

The ability worked very much like carbon monoxide did. It worked by suffocating them from the bloodstream… the only difference was that Tsuna's 'spores' petrified one out of every one hundred red blood cells. Either way, the end result was the same. They still died.

When he was done spreading them, Tsuna opened his eyes and he moved forward, shaking off the charred remains of what had once been living. It was as he reached up that he became very aware of the feeling of wetness on his back. He scowled slightly when his pants stuck to his legs because of the blood but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. His fingers twisted and undid the leather straps tying Xanxus. "Ventilation shaft below the camera…" Tsuna murmured into the restrained assassin's ear.

Xanxus landed on his feet and Tsuna's eyes flickered to the corner where he had located one camera and then to the ground where the vent was—their escape route. Tsuna grabbed the chair in front of the vanity and crammed it against the door. Xanxus flicked small fireballs at the cameras and Tsuna smirked slightly at his show of arrogance, knowing it was his way of getting on the enemy's nerves.

Neither of them spoke—in fear of being overheard by bugs potentially located in the room. Xanxus slid into the vent first and tested the steadiness and Tsuna followed, putting back the metal guard and locking it into place. Xanxus stopped and looked down through the vent with narrowed eyes. Knowing Tsuna would catch on, he forced the vent to open and dropped down soundlessly to the floor with Tsuna landing behind him as he looked around the storage room.

Tsuna stiffened and Xanxus looked at him to see what gauged the reaction when he heard footsteps and laughter outside of the door. Tsuna slipped in-between the bookshelves while Xanxus pulled back a wardrobe and pulled the door so that it was slightly ajar. They both masked their presence and waited until the guards passed...

…and when they did, Tsuna sighed in relief. "Let's go…" Tsuna murmured, motioning for the window.

"You can't fly." Xanxus hissed. "You're injured. You shouldn't even be moving."

"I can't feel it." When fear flashed through Xanxus's eyes, Tsuna hurriedly explained, "I numbed the pain using my flames. I can function normally… until I collapse from blood-loss."

Xanxus weighed his options—if Tsuna collapsed from blood loss, they were fucked… but if they stayed here, they were double fucked since Zarkov seemed to have an act for torturing the people he captured for the hell of it…

Xanxus looked through the storage room silently, weighing his options but Tsuna knew he was stalling. "If you wait too long, Zarkov will find us." Tsuna hissed.

"I know that… let me look, alright?" Xanxus paused when his eyes lingered on a bag they had probably taken from a medical officer of some sorts. Lady Luck had never loved him so much before. Realizing what he was doing, Tsuna sat on the ground and closed his eyes, allowing Xanxus to work over his wound, cauterizing it with his own flame. The patch job was choppy but it would work until their situation was marginally better than the one they were in.

If they could escape it, that is.

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	9. Chapter 9

**_Updated 11/20/13_ **

* * *

Experience with battlefield medicine may not make you as precise as an E.R. surgeon, but after you've stitched up a few people under artillery fire, you can handle outside pressure. Combine that with Tsuna's special cocktail of flames that numbs the nervous system and he's set until he collapses from blood loss or exhaustion… whichever comes first. "It doesn't look like we've left Krasnoyarsk." Tsuna remarked breathlessly as they stopped in a crevice that branched off of one of the halls. Xanxus looked back at him curiously. "My range is limited with my Synesthesia but from what I can tell, we haven't left Krasnoyarsk." He elaborated.

Synesthesia is known as cross-communication in senses to the civilian race, but for the Mafia it is something entirely different. For starters it was an ability limited to registered sharpshooters but for those that had heightened Vongola Intuition, they could see flames and locations in a distinct hue relating to their element on top of the ability that it granted. Tsuna altered half of the ability to better fit him when he's tracking someone by memorizing their Flamma Wavelength which are the tone or pitch that each person individually has. No two wavelengths are the same and that made it easier to hunt.

"We'll talk about why you have a sharpshooter's ability later but for now, I think Zarkov's men just found whatever trap you laid for them." Xanxus said, head snapping up when the alarms sounded overhead. Tsuna smirked inwardly. His ability was a good way for buying time but if Zarkov was as fast as he had made himself out to be, they were screwed double time if they got caught.

Tsuna stepped off of Xanxus's back and slinked through the shadows with practiced ease, blending in seamlessly with Xanxus hot on his tail as they made their way to the first floor. Dealing with a trained operative is like playing chess with a master—something that Tsuna and Xanxus both were at this point in their lives. Luckily for them, Zarkov was more low-life criminal than highly trained operative. Dealing with them, on the other hand, was like playing checkers with a three-year-old. It was easier to just play into their hands than it was to try and fight against them. So when the two of them came across the security door, Tsuna felt his eyes flash with fox-like charm. Reborn's words flared once again in his mind and he couldn't stop himself from moving forward to take the spotlight—" _Most commercial security systems use magnetic sensors. When a door opens, it breaks an electrical circuit and triggers the alarm, which means defeating the system is just a matter of keeping a magnet in contact with the sensor… or you could just let your intuition guide you to the pass code. I'd go with the latter._ "

Tsuna's eyes scanned the door for any extra traps that Zarkov may have set since everything about him made Tsuna believe that he was one of those very security-conscious people that customized a system with less-visible sensors to alert him for any intruders—or escapees—without letting everyone else know. Since there appeared to be none on this side of the door, Tsuna moved so that his flame ignited and he killed the alarm-switch. When he opened the door, he let his fingers guide over the keypad and press the ones that felt the most worn under his fingers. The lasers blocking the stairway faded away and Tsuna turned back to Xanxus. "We have thirty seconds to get down these stairs." Tsuna said curtly before vaulting over the rail and pulling himself to the platform just below him. Xanxus mimicked his actions and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What if you reopened your wounds?"

"Then I'll worry about that when it comes up. Right now, I want to get the hell out of here so I can get some sleep, a shower and potentially something I can use to chop off Zarkov's di—"

"Yeah, you're in dire need of some sleep…" Xanxus drawled sarcastically before he drew back the door and dragged Tsuna into a supply closet just in time to dodge some thug-looking men.

* * *

In any search-and-rescue operation, it was better to have a balance speed and planning—that was a fact Bianchi knew well. When Hayato stepped off of that plane armed with some of his best gear—including Uri—Bianchi pitied the poor fool who stepped up and messed with the Vongola. "Zarkov hasn't left the city yet." Bianchi launched into explanation immediately after Hayato glanced at her. "He's using one of Demetrius' warehouses. This is the layout of the building. There are four above-ground floors and two below. The top floor is like a penthouse. There is only one stairway and no emergency exits. The windows are all reinforced with bullet-proof glass and a barrier that blocks out all location and communication spells used by illusionists."

"Mukuro-sama did say just now that someone was blocking him," Chrome put in. "Boss has never blocked either of us before so it must be an outsider's work."

"Either way, the building is connected to Zarkov." Reborn said evenly. "It's not solid but it's firm enough to walk on. Are we taking this lead?"

"The sooner the better." Hayato replied with a nod.

"What's the strategy on this one?" Squalo asked.

"Shoot now, ask questions later. Aim to kill and leave no survivors." Hayato replied, eyes narrowing into slits. Squalo suppressed a shudder at the cruelty promised in his aqua green eyes. "Zarkov's going to regret ever crossing paths with the Vongola."

"What's that boss-instinct telling you this time?" Reborn asked.

"Juudiame's changing the rules and Zarkov hasn't caught on yet." Hayato smirked. "As long as we don't get caught in their line of fire, the rules will remain the same but once Zarkov catches on, we're going to be left in the dust."

"How will you follow his steps?" Squalo asked.

"You know what they say, don't you? The best way to track a man is to put a woman on the job." Haru said with a small smirk.

"That's her way of saying don't worry about it." Ryohei said when the Varia raised an eyebrow at her words.

* * *

"Wait, stop here…" Tsuna said suddenly, jerking Xanxus's attention to him. "This hallway leads to one of the only exits."

"So?"

"So we have to make an exit of our own since, if my senses are right, we're about to have some proper help." Tsuna scanned the hallway for a moment and smirked wickedly.

The benefit of having a trigger-happy ex-Arcobaleno for a teacher was that he taught you every trick in the improvising book. Combine that with the knowledge that a certain pyromaniac-bomb expert had and Tsuna knew just which household products to combine to let out fatal gasses that could make someone want to evacuate the building as fast as possible. Take ammonia and powdered bleach for example. Pouring the ammonia in a plastic container, Tsuna moved the powdered can of bleach to position above it before stepping back into the shadows and motioned for Xanxus to shoot the container on his mark.

A group of four people were walking through the halls briskly—quite obviously patrolling for the escaped prisoners. Tsuna had positioned the toxic cocktail against a vent so it would quickly spread throughout the building. Those that got out alive were lucky… those that didn't… well, their corpses would make good cover. Xanxus pulled the trigger and one bullet let the barrel of the gun and collided with the container of bleach.

As if cued, the cocktail started smoking and letting out the deadly fumes that would serve as their protection. "Now we run," Tsuna said before inhaling the last wave of fresh air he could get and launching forward into the smoke.

Xanxus followed his actions with professional ease, keeping hot on his heals the entire time. Neither of them stopped until they were three feet away from the exit…

…and a blinding flash followed by a searing sound of screeching froze them in their steps.

A flash-bang grenade temporarily impairs hearing and vision. It made fighting back or attempting escape futile and dangerous to civilians. Xanxus knew the effect of these all too well. Shooting blindly when you had the heir to the company standing God knows how far away from you was a bad idea but when that person wasn't as weak as he had been the first time someone laid eyes on him, Xanxus knew he would dodge in time.

He had enough time to fire three shots before the gun was knocked from his hands by a lackey from behind.

"Well, well, well," Zarkov sang, his eyes flashing with irritation and cold indifference. "You played my men like fools. I should have expected nothing less from Vongola." Xanxus blinked to clear his vision and felt his gut twist uncomfortably at the sight of Tsuna in another man's arms with a gun aimed at his head.

"You know," Tsuna said suddenly, his lips lifting into a smirk. "Taking a hostage that has hundreds of men at his disposal is a very bad idea… you know what makes that idea turn into a fatal mistake?"

Zarkov raised an eyebrow, "Humor me."

"When you leave your back exposed to one of the possible entry ways that my men will use to end you." Tsuna flared and expanded his flame, creating a barrier against the oncoming barrage of bullets that soon followed his statement. The glass shattered in a spray around them letting fresh oxygen flow in and blow the toxic fumes away. Xanxus moved as quickly as he would have if he were completely rested in a sudden burst of adrenalin and drove the butt of his gun into Zarkov's face.

Chaos was the only thing Xanxus could think of when he saw his men working with Tsunayoshi's guardians and eliminating Zarkov's band of fools. "I'm starting to think that maybe you're a magnet for trouble, Tsunayoshi." A baritone lull said, his voice amused but still as sharp as steel. Tsuna looked back with a small smirk on his lips.

"Of course I am… I attracted you, didn't I?" Tsuna smirked. "Don't let any of Zarkov's men escape! I want his business completely annihilated!" He turned his attention to the kneeling, restrained, mercenary glaring up at him with hatred. "…and as for you…" Tsuna grabbed a fist full of his hair and yanked his head up. "I think a proper punishment for crossing my path is leaving you at the mercy of my Mist Guardian, wouldn't you agree?"

"What can a little girl do to me?" Zarkov spat.

"Don't underestimate this little girl." Chrome said touching the tip of her trident to his forehead and allowing her flames to flow through him. The Russian mercenary slumped forward and Tsuna raised an eyebrow. "I want to take my time with him." She said casually. Tsuna snorted and rolled his eyes. "And Mukuro-sama wants to speak with you as soon as you are in dreamscape."

"Lovely," Tsuna muttered under his breath. "I'm in for nine different lectures. Would it help if I said I was sorry?"

"Probably not." Lussuria offered. "But we'll try not to add to it."

"The fuck we won't." Xanxus said with a raised eyebrow. "I told you, you and I are going to have **_words_**."

"I'm trying not to think about that, thank you." Tsuna said with a wry and humorless smirk.

It was a strangely quick affair—ending Zarkov's main branch, that is. Within a few minutes, the entire building was under Vongola's control and Zarkov's men were submitting to the Vongola.

But really, Tsuna should have known that things weren't going to be that easy for him.

The sharp, demanding cry of Zarkov's cell phone sent a piercing heat through Tsuna's mind. His intuition warned him and time seem to slow down around him as he knelt down and picked up the phone.

" _Did you really think that this was over, Decimo?_ " A female voice asked. " _Did you think that I would lie and wait while you and Xanxus extracted whatever vengeance you felt necessary? I hate to disappoint you._ "

"Who says I'm disappointed?" Tsuna asked, his voice dropping to a tenor as though he was in Hyper Dying Will mode. "I was hoping for a good antagonist. The ones I usually have to deal with are boring." Tsuna stood up and turned towards the window with a humorless smirk. "You're hardly any different."

" _Hm… well then… would you mind if I added a little plot twist?_ "

**_BANG!_ **

Tsuna stumbled back as the bullet pierced through the flesh on the inside of his shoulder.

" _Come and find me, Vongola Decimo… if you survive, that is._ "

And the last thing he was aware of was the way Reborn's expression twisted in horror and panic before darkness overtook him.

* * *

As a hitman, Reborn moved through life unattached and keeping the world at arm's length. It was hard but the cold logic behind it made it easier to deal with—love nothing and nothing you love can be used against you. Reborn approached the favor or training Tsunayoshi with that same mentality… but somewhere along the way, the lines of student, teacher, Advisor and Don became a blurred mess of unidentifiable emotion.

That's why, when the bullet ripped through the inside of Tsunayoshi's shoulder, Reborn couldn't stop the flash of horror that rolled through him. "Lussuria!" Xanxus barked, the order clear in his tone but Reborn was quicker. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a trinket he swore he'd never use again. Unraveling the chains that sealed it, Reborn channeled his flames through the pacifier knowing that if he didn't use all of his strength, Tsunayoshi would die. The wounds on his back were deep enough to do some serious damage as it was.

Pressing his flame infused palm against the wound, he focused on the way his flame could knit flesh and muscle together. He tried desperately to ignore the way Tsuna's blood died his fingers red or the way his breathing became labored as though blood was flooding his lungs because _damn it_ , Tsunayoshi couldn't die on him.

How could this have happened? They had secured the buildings surrounding them so why did Tsuna get shot? In the back of his mind he was aware of the orders Xanxus and Hayato were giving, pointing and ordering for things to get done while Reborn forced his flame into action.

Things began to blur around him as his flame died down and the medical team took over the damage he couldn't heal.

He felt a hand on his arm. "Easy, Reborn. It's only me." Viper said softly, her voice pitched low so he didn't turn around and attack her. It was a good thing too. He may have done just that too. His muscles had bunched up as though he was ready to strike but just before he could, she spoke to him in that same tone Luce used to use. Viper guided him to the car and Reborn leaned against the cool metal. "You've pushed yourself too far this time." She commented. "I may need to call Verde so he can restock your life force."

Reborn sneered. "I don't want to see his sorry ass." He added almost petulantly. "He's been keeping secrets again."

"No more than you have." Xanxus commented casually. "C'mere. I might be able to help with that fatigue."

Reborn scowled but complied more out of exhaustion than anything else. Xanxus pressed a hand to his solar plexus and let his Harmony element flow from him to Reborn. The Arcobaleno, for the most part, tensed slightly at the invasion of his Will but relaxed when the fatigue that he got from using the pacifier melted away. "Nice," He commented. "Would have been better with a little forewarning though."

"Where's the fun in that?" Xanxus challenged almost playfully. Reborn felt his lips curve into a smirk.

"One day, you'll have to tell me what transpired here to change your viewpoint on Tsuna."

"One day," Xanxus agreed.

* * *

When Tsuna woke up, he felt groggy and flushed. "Remind me to kill that bus driver to crashed into me." He groaned to the presence in the room after rolling on his side and resting his forehead against his knees to stave away the nauseating sensation of the entire world tipping.

"That's to be expected after two blood transfusions. Your immune system is depleted. It's probably just a simple case of the flu." Lussuria's motherly tone rang through to his consciousness. "The nausea and soreness aside, how do you feel?"

"Dizzy… very dizzy… and hot."

"No swelling?" Lussuria asked, looking over his charts. "Look up for me, dear, I want to check your sight."

"After the world stops doing flips." Tsuna muttered, slowly coming out of his ball and sitting up. Lussuria flashed a light in his eyes and the brunette held very still, not wanting to go into defense while he was blinded by this light.

"You don't have a concussion… that's good since people with Flames often get the symptoms of a concussion without actually hitting their head. Your reversed fever should fade away within a couple of hours now that your awake and can control the flow of your flames properly again." Lussuria tucked the flashlight back into his pocket. "Now you can have your first healing session to keep your wounds from opening up again."

"Where's Ryo' and Reborn? They usually do healing sessions when I can't…" Tsuna trailed off. "Not that I don't think your capable… I'm just not familiar with your presence…"

"Oh, don't worry about it one bit, Tsu-chan—you don't mind if I call you that, do you?" Lussuria asked. Tsuna had been called worse so he simply shook his head. "Good~! Now, strip. I'll take it easy at first."

"Don't blame me if my body rejects your flame." Tsuna muttered, knowing the gay necrophiliac heard him. The flames were warm against his body and Tsuna took that chance to be a prying little vixen. He closed his eyes and didn't stop the wavelength from being engraved into his mind—he had done it with all of his Guardians, all of the Arcobaleno and most of his unemployed lackeys but now it was the Varia's turn.

As the martial artist's gentle fingers traced over the wound, healing the damage to the nerves and muscles, Tsuna couldn't help but think about the past seventy-odd hours he spent in Russia. Zarkov had been far from hospitable but all in all, nothing traumatizing had happened—and no, the molestation didn't count as traumatizing because Hibari Kyoya did things that were ten times more illegal than that to him on the rooftops back in Namimori—but ultimately he had beaten Zarkov and his company down which was a positive point considering the torture he had undergone.

But then there was the issue with Sarada Mochizuki/Felicia Calidori. She was a main piece that was going to serve to be problematic later on in life. Tsuna knew a potential predator when he saw one and since she was responsible for the bullet that ripped through his shoulder which throbbed in tune with his heartbeat even with Lussuria's healing flame coursing through his veins. He would have to take care of her after a bit of investigation.

"All done~!" Lussuria chimed and Tsuna jolted from his thoughts. "By the time I got to it, your blood already started clotting so there is a scar." Sun Flames could heal and often didn't leave scars but when the blood starts clotting and scabbing over, they could only heal it as much as the body they were healing would allow. After that, Sun Flames started becoming lethal by killing the cells faster than regenerating them.

"It's fine," Tsuna replied. "Not like I don't have any as it stands." He added under his breath. "Thank you for that, Lussuria-san."

"Oh please, call me Luss-nee." Tsuna tried to hide his twitch. "Or just Lussuria, if you must. You make me feel old doing things like that!"

Tsuna brushed his inane rambling aside and chose to tug at his gown. "Geh. I need clothes…" Tsuna grumbled, tugging at the paper-thin gown.

"Figured you'd be awake soon," Xanxus smirked from the doorway and Lussuria got up to leave. "Oh no, don't mind me. I'm just here to pick on mini-boss."

"Don't call me that insufferable nickname." Tsuna hissed with lackluster exasperation.

"But it fits you so well, shorty."

"How good is your healing again, Lussuria? Good enough for me to punt-kick your Sky out the window?" Tsuna said in a sing-song, his eyes flashing mischievously at the slight twitch in Xanxus's stance.

"And I came all this way to deliver some clothes for you. Woe is me." Xanxus said with an all around mocking tone that didn't sound the least bit upset about it. If anything, he sounded amused, possible pleased, that Tsuna had regained his fire. He lifted a bag from his side.

"All is forgiven." Tsuna beamed, snatching the bag greedily and dumping the contents out on the bed. After shoving Lussuria onto the other side of the curtain, Tsuna took that chance to shed the paper gown and put on the silk orange shirt and black slacks. When he was done, he moved the curtain back and started fastening his tie, glancing at his reflection in the window to help.

"Now, Tsu-chan, you can't just dive into work. You need some r&r."

"I forget, does r&r stand for recon and rendition?" Tsuna asked, his eyes flashing innocently as he tilted his head slightly making the older assassin coo. Xanxus felt like he wanted to brush off the sparkles that just dripped onto him because of the all-too-sweet expression.

"This one doesn't do well with rest and relaxation." Reborn drawled from the door. "He's too busy giving out orders."

"Aw, no welcome back for me, Reborn? You're so mean." Tsuna puffed out his cheeks before getting serious. "What's the status report on our sniper?"

"The next building over was secured. We have reason to believe that she used an artificial trigger response." Reborn replied.

"Damn. So she was already gone when the trigger was pulled." Tsuna tapped his cheek with a curse. "Well I'm not going to let her get away that easily."

"Ah," Reborn smirked slightly. "But first, you and I have a conversation to finish."

The flash of anger was searing hot and it took all of Tsuna's restraint to keep his flame from materializing. Instead, he felt the hot scorch of his eyes changing color and took a steadying breath, "I've already said what I want to say. My decision is final."

Reborn's smirk faltered before being replaced into a scowl. "You don't even have a bargaining chip."

"Perhaps you were giving me too much freedom." Tsuna mocked, not at all sounding amused or pleased about the conversation at hand.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Reborn growled, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"Then what did you mean because I'm obviously missing something here?" Tsuna said just as menacingly. "Watch how fast I can have you shipped off to your next long-term mission the next time you try and interfere with my plans for _my_ Vongola."

"Did we come at a bad time?" Takeshi asked, eyes narrowing as he stepped protectively in front of Tsuna—Hayato mirroring his actions.

"No. Reborn was just leaving." Tsuna said putting up his sweetest, venomous smile.

"I don't think I will now." Reborn said, smirking coldly at Tsuna's icy glare.

"Arrogant prick," Tsuna muttered. Before Reborn could retaliate, Tsuna smiled brightly at Hayato. "Now, we have a flight to arrange since I've had my fair share of Russian territory. I want to go to Italy."

"Florence or Verona?" Hayato asked.

"I have some business at Main HQ before we go to any of the branches." Tsuna replied.

"Sicily it is," Hayato replied, making a mental note to arrange it later.

"Now, regarding Hibari," Tsuna was going to turn to Reborn for answers but Takeshi chimed in, saving him from looking in the hitman's direction. He was still irritated with him.

"He's in Sicily awaiting our arrival. Somehow he predicted that you'd be choosing Main HQ to make an appearance at." Takeshi grinned boyishly. "Not to mock Ryohei but how was your _extreme_ camping trip?"

"It wasn't a freaking vacation, dipshit!" Hayato snapped, reminiscing of his old self.

"Chaos," Xanxus mouthed to Tsuna who nodded in agreement—although if it was a jibe at his Family or an answer to their question he was unsure. Either way, he agreed. "I'll tell you later." Tsuna promised. "Meanwhile, Chrome should probably be relieved of her interrogation duties before Mukuro decides he wants to play. Also, Xanxus, can you—?"

"—shoot him already? I'd be honored." Xanxus drawled sarcastically, a bloodthirsty grin littering his face despite the sarcasm. Tsuna rolled his eyes.

"I meant could you and your Guardians accompany me back to Main Headquarters." Tsuna smiled a bit. "Since I've got the feeling that we're going to be collaborating on this assignment…" He trailed off.

Reborn wanted to snarl at how easily he had been forgotten. Instead of making more of a scene than usual, he made a silent command for Leon to transform and aimed the little chameleon at the back of Tsuna's head, relishing in the shudder that rolled through him at the familiar sensation. "Forgetting about the killer in the room, Dame-Tsuna?" Reborn taunted, quite obviously unpleased at how easily he was dismissed.

"No. I'm intentionally ignoring you in hopes that you'll go the fuck away." Tsuna said coldly. "But quite obviously I have to make the first move." Tsuna spun around, his foot lashing out to kick the gun away. Reborn leaned back a bit to avoid the blow. "I'll make you a deal, Reborn, since you won't let this go until Mukuro is either dead or in my grasp. When Felicia is dead and I make the final arrangements on my meeting with Vendice, I'll let you in on the secret… there's a condition. You do not hound Verde for knowing and not saying anything, you keep your mouth shut about any of the things you know would be considered Mukuro's vulnerabilities and you start acting like the advisor I want you to be."

"You're one thousand years too early to lecture me." Reborn maligned.

Tsuna knew that this was the part where he could stay silent and submit or he could pursue his point even further. Normally he would have submitted but Tsuna was still angry at Reborn for forcing him out of the house. Luckily, Xanxus decided that this would be a good point to intervene. "But he did assist in ridding you of that pathetic form you were in before." Xanxus gauged, hoping that the hitman's anger would turn to him instead. Tsunayoshi didn't deserve it even if the reasoning wasn't quite clear.

Reborn felt the tables turn. He had the losing hand now. It would be foolish to pursue this line of argument any further so he simply stated, "I fail to see how this involves you in any way."

"It doesn't but mini-boss here has shown that he has quite the temper." Xanxus said condescendingly, a haughty smirk altering his expression. "If I wasn't aware of your status, I'd have thought you'd be dead already."

"I would never turn my hand on my allies." Tsuna intervened, sensing what Xanxus was intending to do. "Even if some of them deserve it." He added with a childish huff that made Xanxus roll his eyes and Lussuria snicker. Takeshi and Hayato were used to the outrageous actions their childish Sky did so showed no outward reaction.

Reborn's aura shifted and he looked at Tsuna levelly, his eyes flashing the same color as his element for a moment and he grabbed Tsuna's wrist, forcing him to stand in front of him and look up. "We're not finished, Tsunayoshi."

"Oh, cry me a river!" Tsuna snapped. "You say we're not finished but I am! Mukuro will be released from Vendicare by my order. You tell me you want me to make my own decisions but when I do, all you have to say about them is criticism that isn't even constructive!" Reborn tensed, expecting an attack but it never came. Instead, Tsuna continued his verbal assault. "Maybe if you weren't so caught up in your self-pitying world you'd have time to see the demons that have overrun mine! Now let me go!" Tsuna struggled against Reborn for a moment before snapping again. "I said… let. Me. Go!" He finalized the statement with a solid kick aimed at Reborn's arm, intending to shatter his forearm if he didn't do as he asked, before landing in a crouch. "You call Mukuro a criminal, a parasite… but it's not Mukuro you truly hate is it? It's how similar the two of you are… after all, of all the outsiders you've interacted with, Mukuro of all people can understand the easiest out of all of us just what it feels like to be trapped within his own body."

With nothing else to say, Tsuna brushed passed the group of stunned Mafiosi and left them in their astonishment—after all, he had finally made his point…

And Reborn caught the message. Loud and clear.

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	10. Chapter 10

**_Author's Note_ : **In case you guys didn't know, the reason Reborn doesn't like Mukuro is because of the fact that Mukuro exemplifies Reborn's self-loathing. The Mist element is known for being trapped in their own bodies—even more so for Mukuro since he's imprisoned in Vendicare—and that's what the Arcobaleno experienced for decades. Remember, Reborn is being vulnerable since Mukuro's release is like the curse being lifted all over again.

Also, **_Metue_ ,**pointed out something that isn't quite correct. You said that the summary doesn't fit the story—it does for the first Arc but after that, it kind of trails off into something entirely different and there's only what? 132 characters to use? Apparently, I am also inept at writing stories that revolve mainly around one story (that's not me guilt tripping you. That's me criticizing my inability to follow the plot I've set) and even more so, I suck at writing summaries.

And _**Hell Changer**_ , what I mean by AU is that after the Future Arc, it branches off into its own sort of timeline. Shimon obviously doesn't play a roll and the Arcobaleno Arc (fucking rip off-arc, by the way) is addressed in a different way.

So for those of you that don't know, this is Post-Future, Pre-Shimon and it is four years after Reborn arrived at the Sawada Household which would make Tsuna seventeen.

**_Updated 11/27/13_ **

* * *

" **Speak, Arcobaleno. Why have you called conference with us?** " Jager stated menacingly. Verde refused to flinch back under what he would have become.

"I've come to place an inquiry on the pending release of Rokudo Mukuro." Verde said clearly, pushing up his glasses. His appearance, while neat, wasn't formal and that may have added to the hostility he was being shown. ' _Well,_ ' He thought. ' _Shall I add to it?_ '

" **We do not negotiate. We do not release prisoners. We have told the Vongola this before and we have no intentions of turning Rokudo Mukuro over to his custody.** " Jager sneered. " **If that is all, then you are dismissed.** "

"Actually," Verde pressed. "I've come in the hopes that you'd reconsider. You see, I've come into some information recently and… as unsavory as it is, it has given me a new perspective on reality. More specifically… Vendice's rule over the Mafia." He could feel the malicious intent spike around him. A razor smile spread over his lips. "Surely you didn't think we wouldn't find out after the curse was broken, did you?" He asked as he looked up at them through his glasses that gleamed with an ominous light. "About just _what_ the Vendice were?" There was a dangerous shift in the air. Verde threw his head back and laughed. It was more of an insane cackle, really, but he couldn't bring himself to care. "Unless you want that information publicized and your control over the lesser ranks of the Mafia, I advise you follow through with Mukuro's release."

" **You dare threaten us, Arcobaleno?!** " Another deep, raspy voice demanded from the stands. " **Master Jager, I say we kill him where he stands! That information is _classified_! Who is your informant?!** "

Verde laughed again. The desperation they were showing was clear. "Kill me and the information will be publicized anyways!" He stated, his words ringing across the court. "You did not think I would come here without insurance, did you? Information like this is too sensitive to keep to myself! I'm only part of the information line and my death will assure that this information becomes public knowledge throughout the Mafia. And then what? What will happen to the Trinisette?" Verde sneered at Jager. "I need not tell you that this kind of leak will end in disaster… of course, by then, me and my information source will be long gone as I am certain you will not allow us to live." He scoffed. "Such a pity really. That kind of chaos is something I might find entertaining."

There was silence as Verde's words sank in and he was right. The Vendice ruled with an iron fist—to know that they were once what was referred to as The Strongest Seven in their respective eras would create chaos. The Mafia would riot and fight against them. It would be an all out war and while Vendice was more than capable of taking each and every one of them down, it would be a slaughterhouse through and through.

" **We shall… consider the proposition once more.** " Jager said after a moment of hesitation.

"See to it that you do." Verde said before he bowed at the waist. "Good evening."

And then he left.

* * *

Italy had become like a second home to Tsuna. After seeing it through the memories that were engraved in the Rings and again when Reborn started their overseas traveling, Tsuna could honestly say that the warm, European country had grown on him. He wouldn't mind settling down here one day after his business with the Vongola was done and the darkness surrounding the Mafia was eradicated. The moment he stepped on the plane, the young Sky Guardian wanted nothing more than to do a happy dance all the way to the limo—any weariness from the flight forgotten. Even though the flight was only eight hours, it was obvious everyone felt worn after the flight.

But, like Tsuna, any weariness they felt was immediately washed away by the sound of jumbled Italian murmurs and earthy tones that met their range of view. Hayato wanted to roll his eyes at his Sky's over-zealous behavior but couldn't help but smile at the truly happy lift to Tsuna's lips. "Good evening, Decimo," Their driver greeted. He was an average appearing man with black hair, a fuzzy mustache and the common black-suit-and-tie appearance.

"Good evening, Druitt," Tsuna greeted with a warm smile.

Once they were all ushered into the back of a long car, the man's voice rang over the intercom. "Where to, Decimo?"

"Main Headquarters, please." Tsuna replied, leaning back in his seat.

"Hmph. I would have thought the special treatment would be too much for you to handle." Levi spoke for the first time since they got off the plane.

"It was… but I quickly got used to it." Tsuna reached for the glass of wine Xanxus handed him. It was at least a hour's drive to Vongola Manor so they figured they could indulge themselves. While they pulled out of airport security, Tsuna reached for his emergency phone just as it rang. Tsuna smiled a bit at the phone number before he got serious. "Verde," Tsuna greeted.

" _They either think I'm bluffing or that my information sources are thin. Someone just tried to kill me._ " Verde stated drolly.

"…" Tsuna's expression became impassive. "You know, I hear the beds in the guest suites are rather exquisite. I wouldn't know because I don't sleep when I'm in Italy but you might enjoy them."

" _I am not going under protective detail._ "

"Tough shit."

" _And if I protest?_ "

"I'll send in a retrieval team to come and _get_ you."

" _I'm not beyond killing them._ "

"And if it's one of the Arcobaleno?"

" _…_ " There was silence on the other end. " _Don't expect to win the next round, Vongola._ " And then Verde hung up. Tsuna smirked in triumph before ending the call on his end. Reborn snorted.

"For all of his mental capacity, he sure is an idiot." Reborn commented.

"You and Verde have never gotten along." Viper commented casually.

"That's because he's into smearing his brains in other peoples' faces. I'm more reserved."

"You realize that htat is the biggest load of bullcrap I've ever heard, right?"

"Shut up, Dame-Tsuna."

"Shutting up."

* * *

Italy had become like a second home to Tsuna. After seeing it through the memories that were engraved in the Rings and again when Reborn started their overseas traveling, Tsuna could honestly say that the warm, European country had grown on him. He wouldn't mind settling down here one day after his business with the Vongola was done and the darkness surrounding the Mafia was eradicated. The moment he stepped on the plane, the young Sky Guardian wanted nothing more than to do a happy dance all the way to the limo—any weariness from the flight forgotten. Even though the flight was only eight hours, it was obvious everyone felt worn after the flight.

But, like Tsuna, any weariness they felt was immediately washed away by the sound of jumbled Italian murmurs and earthy tones that met their range of view. Hayato wanted to roll his eyes at his Sky's over-zealous behavior but couldn't help but smile at the truly happy lift to Tsuna's lips. "Good evening, Decimo," Their driver greeted. He was an average appearing man with black hair, a fuzzy mustache and the common black-suit-and-tie appearance.

"Good evening, Druitt," Tsuna greeted with a warm smile.

Once they were all ushered into the back of a long car, the man's voice rang over the intercom. "Where to, Decimo?"

"Main Headquarters, please." Tsuna replied, leaning back in his seat.

"Hmph. I would have thought the special treatment would be too much for you to handle." Levi spoke for the first time since they got off the plane.

"It was… but I quickly got used to it." Tsuna reached for the glass of wine Xanxus handed him. It was at least a hour's drive to Vongola Manor so they figured they could indulge themselves. While they pulled out of airport security, Tsuna reached for his emergency phone just as it rang. Tsuna smiled a bit at the phone number before he got serious. "Verde," Tsuna greeted. Hayato moved so that his ear was pressed against the phone so he could listen in.

" _They either think I'm bluffing or that my information sources are thin. Someone just tried to kill me._ " Verde stated drolly.

"…" Tsuna's expression became impassive. Hayato growled but Tsuna ignored him and he got the distinct feeling Verde did the same. "I'd feel much better if you were at the Vongola Estate in Sicily." Tsuna commented casually.

There was a droll snort. " _No thank you._ "

"If Vendice Operatives are being so bold as to attack you in your labs, maybe it would be safer." Hayato pressed.

Tsuna nodded in agreement despite the fact that the scientist didn't see it. "I'd rather not have one of the Arcobaleno dying on my watch, thank you very much and besides. I hear that the labs are right up your alley."

" _Hm, I'll go but not because of the labs. I wanted to talk to you about that potential alliance you've suckered me into._ "

"Suckered?" Tsuna asked bemused.

"Last time I checked, everything we've asked of you was completely consensual." Hayato put in.

" _You make it sound like I'm in a scandalous relationship with the two of you._ " Verde mused.

"Verde, I hate to point this out to you but there is going to _be_ a scandal when you join the Vongola full time." Tsuna rolled his eyes. "Alright, down to business. See if you can arrange a meeting with the other Arcobaleno in Sicily. I'll read them as well as the Varia into the situation at hand."

" _Are you sure I should know who the sources are?_ "

"The people that know are high enough in rank that they'd be violating their own laws if they tried to erase the knowledge. Vendice is cruel not stupid." Tsuna switched ears causing Hayato to scowl. Takeshi leaned down and listened in his place. "And anyways the significance behind their role within the Trinisette is what'll drive them to agree."

" _Let's hope so… otherwise you've signed all of our death warrants._ " And then he hung up. Tsuna sighed.

"His lack of faith in me is insulting." Tsuna closed his phone.

"So? What happened?" Takeshi asked.

"Vendice has become bold. They've attacked Verde in his labs." Tsuna looked up at Haru. "Haru, could you—?"

"—escort him to the main estate? It would be my pleasure." Haru smirked—the expression contrasted with her innocent eyes in a way none-too-nice. "Meanwhile, you should probably show Vendice that you aren't bluffing."

"Hm." Tsuna drummed his fingers against his cheek thoughtfully. "Perhaps." He mused. "We shall see what comes our way, no?"

* * *

The hallways were buzzing with energy as usual and the two Skies were greeted with various greetings all ranging from "Welcome back" to curt nods—each one Tsuna returned with a warm smile or a nod of his own. Xanxus simply grunted in acknowledgement, much to Tsuna's displeasure.

When they arrived at the main office, Tsuna knocked twice before stepping in. "I thought I sensed a familiar presence." Timoteo greeted. "Tsunayoshi, Reborn, welcome back."

"Timoteo," Reborn greeted, inclining his head. Tsuna's expression softened as he took his spot next to the Ninth Don.

"I heard you had quite the ordeal."

Tsuna's eyes turned serene. "You don't know the half of it."

"Then do tell us." Coyote said, leaning on his intertwined fingers. "Kyoya, here, was just informing us about your whereabouts."

Not having to be told twice, Tsuna and Xanxus quickly launched into explanation. After skimming over the part where he had gotten into an argument regarding Mukuro's release with Reborn, he explained how he knew what to say and how to get the message through—even though he was winging it for most of it. Then he explained that he had found one of the buildings and almost got his neck snapped by an unconscious Xanxus—who pointedly told him that he should have known better to try and wake a sleeping assassin.

When he was finished, Hibari—who had just arrived only twenty minutes prior—smirked, quite obviously pleased at how well his Sky had done. "Wao… you've sharpened your claws again, Tsunayoshi."

"Meow," Tsuna purred teasingly. "Before we get into this whole debriefing, I ask that my Guardians remain on the investigation."

"Granted." Timoteo didn't even have to think about the request. It had been a precaution that was a part of the protocol that they usually followed but he could tell that this would not be up for debate—besides, they had something more important to worry about. "Next question?" The Ninth inquired.

"Thanks for reminding me… why wasn't I informed about Sarada Mochizuki's appearance on Japanese soil? She's a high risk assassin and an enemy of the Vongola that I ordered tabs to be kept on." Like an annoyance that didn't know how to separate his family and the Family.

"You mean the informants never sent you the information?" Nougat asked. "How unusual…"

"Did you go through my usual line of communication?" Tsuna asked. "There's a reason I have that line set up."

"It was too risky. Iemitsu said that your line of information had a leak—"

_Snap_.

Cracks appeared in the table where Tsuna's fingers dug into the wood. "He did what?" His voice was deceptively calm. "Need I remind you _who it is_ that's delivering the information to me personally? I fail to see how Verde is a leak." Iemitsu had become a thorn in Tsuna's side as of late. Even though Timoteo insisted that Iemitsu hadn't changed, Tsuna knew the truth. The alteration had been slight, almost unnoticeable to those that were constantly in his presence but Tsuna never had that (so-called) luxury. He noticed how haughty Iemitsu had gotten and it was beginning to irritate him.

"Don Gesso's right hand is invol—" Coyote was cut off, just as Nougat had been.

Apparently Iemitsu wasn't the only one who needed to learn their place.

"Shoichi Irie is not an enemy of the Vongola!" Tsuna snapped. "I have some choice words for that bastard. I want him here, _now_."

"Tsuna," Reborn said coolly. "Iemitsu has every right to be untrusting towards both Verde and Irie."

"But not towards those I pick _personally_." Tsuna said in a deceptively calm tone. "Verde is not an enemy. He is sworn under the Omertà and Byakuran was converted after his defeat by my hand ten years in the future. You know that as well as I do. God, I swear! The moment the coronation is done and over with, I'm going to kick his ass out of the Mafia for good." Tsuna took a shuddering breath. "Never mind that. Hibari, just inform me of what you've found before I decide to kill him instead of firing him." Everyone knew Tsuna would never do that kind of thing. It was illogical, impossible even, but they were said nonetheless.

"Tsunayoshi," Timoteo said warningly, reminding Xanxus of when he went into 'dad-mode' with him when he and Enrico fought. Tsuna's amber eyes flashed up at him but Timoteo remained firm. "Iemitsu deserves respect."

"No, _you_ deserve respect. The only thing Iemitsu deserves is my foot up his—"

"Tsunayoshi!" Reborn growled, his voice raising only a bit but enough to make Tsuna flinch.

"Forgive me. I spoke out of term." Tsuna said, averting his eyes but not sounding the least bit sincere in his words. Why was it he became so impulsive when it came to his father?

Xanxus felt his Guardians shift behind him but paid them no mind. Instead, he was looking at Tsunayoshi's Guardians and the various reactions—indifference, calm calculation, concern and mutual anger. It was all there. Xanxus knew that Iemitsu had done something to cause a rift between him and his son but he didn't think it would be this bad. It was clear that Tsuna wanted nothing more than to deck his father in the face with a flame-infused fist.

None of the Varia spoke—it wasn't their place. This was clearly a familial issue at this point and they weren't at that level yet. Hibari, obviously not wanting to remain on this subject, slid a dossier over to Tsuna. "That's all of the information I picked up. Aliases, various signatures she has used for each of her aliases, enemies that have put out hits on her and past involvement in ongoing cases involving the Alliance."

"She's good at not leaving a paper trail." Tsuna commented, putting the file on the overhead-projector for everyone's view. "Hm? What's this?" Tsuna flipped open the last page and his eyebrows shot up. "Hibari Kyoya, have I ever told you that I love you undeniably?"

"No but when you say things like that it makes me feel good." Hibari smirked.

"Seejah Petrovsky and Sarah Raisen are freelance assassins that have been on my list of wary for quite some time. Both of them were reported as Volkov's escorts when he was still a rookie—according to Bianchi's case file—and both names are recorded as Felicia's aliases."

"Before I gave him that scar on the side of his face," Bianchi emphasized as she slipped into a seat at the table. "Both of them were names on my list but I couldn't complete the hit because the Don I was working for was assassinated after he transferred the final funds."

"Strangled from behind with a wire," Tsuna nodded. "And that's Sara Raisen's _Modus Operandi_. Damn, she's good."

"What were they escorting Volkov to?" Ryohei asked.

"A company gathering for—oh…"

"For who?" Xanxus asked.

"Us, apparently." Tsuna drummed his fingers against the dossier. "After Massimo was named Heir and then again when Federico was named heir."

"That's rather telling." Timoteo commented, the grief from his sons' deaths etching into the lines on his face but not showing beyond that. Tsuna felt his heart clench as a reminder not to be so blunt about things.

It was good to know that, despite his occupation, he was still capable of human emotion.

"Indeed," Mukuro commented ominously. "Unfortunately it seems that we are at a standstill until another lead comes to light." Tsuna felt Reborn's displeasure spike and he shot him a warning glare. "Oya?" Mukuro hummed, eyeing the two of them with wary as he had noticed the sudden change in atmosphere. "Have the two of you fought?"

"No." Reborn said at the same time Tsuna said, "Yes." They both glared at one another.

"That doesn't sound good." Hibari mused, for once not attacking Mukuro on sight. Tsuna wondered about that but decided to dwell on it later… best not to ignore the killer in the room—Reborn, that is, not… everyone else.

"Why can't you just drop it already?" Tsuna demanded, standing up abruptly. "You know as well as everyone else that once I've made up my mind on something, there's no stopping until it's done."

"Because you have a freaking death wish." Reborn snarled. "Honestly, Tsuna. Blackmailing _Vendice_? What kind of information do you have over them that would make the impenetrable Vendicare go belly up for the sake of your Mist?"

"Hm?" Mukuro shifted. "You're blackmailing Vendice?"

"It's not blackmail if I intend pay them back. I'd rather not be indebted to them if it's all the same and you don't even know my game-play!" Tsuna hissed. "Who are you to say it will fail?"

"You're too reckless, _Idiot-Tsuna_." Reborn said, his eyes shaded by his fedora. "I don't know how you managed to get Verde in on this scheme but know this. If you get Verde killed because of this harebrained scheme of yours, you will be treated as an enemy to the Arcobaleno."

* * *

Tsuna was panting with the aftermath of his intense spar with Hibari. He had won, as he usually did when he was fighting based on emotion instead of just a friendly spar, but Hibari hadn't left to sulk. Instead, he lay beside him as he tried to catch his breath. "You know," Hibari said, rolling onto his stomach. "The infant is the reason you're alive."

"What do you mean?" Tsuna asked, his anger dimming a bit to be replaced by curiosity.

"I mean that he used his pacifier to heal the damage done." Hibari elaborated. "He was completely spent afterwards. That predator had used his flame to recharge him, I think."

"Who? Xanxus?" Tsuna asked, blinking at Hibari as he, too, rolled onto his stomach. "When was this?"

"When you were being transported by chopper to Moscow." Hibari replied.

Tsuna frowned, unsure of what he was feeling at the moment. He knew later that he would seek out Reborn and question him but right now, he just felt… numb… and he wasn't so sure that was a good thing anymore.

It had taken him a while to store up the courage to confront Reborn. When he finally stopped pacing in front of the entrance, he had made his way down the staircase that led to Reborn's secluded suite in the mansion. It was hidden and only accessible through a secret passage hidden behind an elegant painting of a raven's silhouette against the setting sun. Inside was decorated with dark wood and masculine shades of cream-orange for the upper half of the walls—the lower half being framed with panels of the dark wood. About half-way up, where the panels ended, there was an embroidery with a filigree design. The furniture was all turn-of-the-century antique, complete with a record player and all.

Tsuna didn't stop to admire the décor, amazing as it may have been. He walked into the bedroom which was a bit darker. Instead of a cream-orange, it was a dark violet. The bed was a four-poster bed with black curtains and matching bedspread. There were silver twists and designs on the hem of the comforter and pillows but Tsuna ignored them for the sake of seeking out Reborn who he could sense was on the balcony.

"Hey," Tsuna said, walking out onto the balcony where Reborn was sprawled out on a chaise lounge. "Hibari told me how you used the pacifier to heal me." Tsuna began, fighting the urge to fidget. Reborn said nothing so Tsuna took a step closer. "I don't understand why you hate him so much… is it because his situation is similar? Because you and he both know what it's like to be trapped within your own bodies?"

Yellow eyes opened and Tsuna flinched. "I thought we were finished with this conversation." He said coldly. Tsuna flinched as though he had been slapped.

"My decision is final… but the conversation is far from over, Reborn."

Reborn ticked under his breath and Tsuna frowned. "You should make up your mind." He turned to gaze disinterestedly at the half moon as though looking at Tsuna… hurt him. "Just leave."

Tsuna reared back as though he had been shot, hurt lacing through his veins in the very familiar feeling of rejection. Why was Reborn pushing him away now when Tsuna wanted nothing more than to please him? Was it because he wanted… something more?

Mind racing and hands trembling, Tsuna moved forward again, deliberately slow and calm though he was feeling anything but. "No."

Anger flashed in yellow orbs for the barest of moments before it vanished. "I loathe repeating myself, Dame-Tsuna." The words had a harsher bite than before.

"I don't care." Feeling defiant, Tsuna moved forward again as though he was stalking his prey and in a way he was. Reborn was _his_ and he was pushing him away.

Something else flared under his eyes and, in the next moment, Tsuna found himself being forced against the stucco wall. He cried out at the pain when it scraped against his back but the sound was muffled by Reborn who was brutally assaulting his mouth. Another pained whimper passed from his lips when they were ground between Reborn's teeth but the hitman refused to ease up, as though Tsuna deserved to be punished for putting him through this anguish.

Reborn pulled back on Tsuna's hair, forcing his throat to bare before nipping sharply leaving angry signatures on his throat. If Tsuna wouldn't submit, he would force him to submit. Tsuna's grip tightened on his hair before roughly initiating another kiss. Tsuna made a sound that was a cross between a scream and a gasp and Reborn's control strained even further as they slid into the bedroom where Reborn forced Tsuna's hands above his head and ground their hips together violently, forcing friction to meet between their legs.

Frantically, they scrambled to get out of their clothes, to explore foreign limbs and map out spots that elicited certain desired reactions and soon enough, the two of them were on the bed, hot and too aroused to think straight.

Or maybe it was one sided… Reborn didn't know anymore. He was tired of forcing himself to ignore his own desires and Tsuna was here… alone… in his quarters… and free for the taking.

There was a pained mewl from underneath him and Reborn eased up a bit on the friction. Reborn pulled back a bit more and was suddenly aware of how breathless Tsuna was. His eyes were glazed and glowing eerily with lust. His lips were swollen and slightly parted. His cheeks flared with color and all Reborn could see was pure arousal in that gaze… but it vanished in a flash, replaced by a moment of panic and fear.

It made him see red all over again.

As though sensing Reborn wasn't about to give up, Tsuna decided to switch it up a bit. Tsuna wrapped his legs around Reborn's waist and flipped their positions. "Oh no, hitman, if we're going to do this… we're doing it _my_ way." Tsuna purred, his eyes glowing in the silvery moonlight that filled the room.

Reborn paused, at a loss. "What are you pla— _ah_ —" Reborn bit down on his lip to keep the groan from tearing from his throat when Tsuna's fingers danced over his aching hard-on through his slacks before pulling down the zipper and hem until his cock sprang free of its restraints. A shudder tore painfully through his lean body when Tsunayoshi ran his tongue, curiously, over the length and then his _teeth_ —gently (almost as if they weren't touching it at all) but provocatively—over the moistened member before he slipped the throbbing appendage into his mouth.

_Oh God_ , that tongue of his was doing things to his body that should have never been done. Tsuna continued to suck and prod at Reborn, lathering in the taste and texture. How was it possible for someone to taste so addicting? The sound of Reborn's restraints snapping should have been audible when Tsuna's glazed eyes flickered up to him.

A shuddering groan fell past Reborn's lips and a jolt ran through Tsuna—an electrical current of pleasure—and he no longer felt the spark of dominating determination. But… if he was going to submit to Reborn, he was going to see just how much anger could affect passion. It took a bit to get used to since Reborn was… well, to put it bluntly, quite large but once he had, he could take him whole. Tsuna couldn't stifle the moan that tore from his throat when Reborn's fingers twisted in his hair and with a strangle gasp that sounded like his name, slurred beyond comprehension, Tsuna felt hot, salty liquid fill his mouth and, for a moment, was at a loss.

The liquid was thick and had the same fiery taste that Reborn's mouth did. He swallowed it though, with little difficulty. He could feel Reborn's arousal thickening again and a moment later, there was a bruising grip on his hips. It should have scared him, he knew, but it didn't—the way Reborn held him.

"Wai—Reborn! Th-that's… nngh…" The smaller boy moaned as Reborn's fingers spread him, prepared him for what was to come. Tsuna clung to him, holding onto the hitman and rolling his hips back against the head of Reborn's cock. Immediately, his body attempted to reject the intrusion—still unused to the sensation even though it was no longer foreign—and Reborn's restraint was further strained beyond his limits. He wanted nothing more than to lose himself in Tsunayoshi's heat.

Reborn wanted to watch him as he came. He had forgotten what it felt like to give pleasure as well as receive it. It was so intense—it almost made his lust violent, animalistic. Both of them were slicked with sweat and for once, Reborn couldn't focus solely on the sound of Tsuna's ragged breathing or the pain that Tsuna's nails were giving him. His senses were expanded to their full capability and if he just jerked his hips upright at the same time he pulled Tsuna down…

The sound of his control snapping was as audible as the sound of a cracking whip when he forced Tsuna down and snapped his hips up to meet Tsuna's… and immediately Reborn was overwhelmed with the feeling of Tsuna's body contracting, trembling, shivering… he was aware of Tsuna's blunt teeth biting down on his shoulder, of the brunette's nails digging into his flesh and the painful ecstasy that overwhelmed Tsuna's expression.

Reborn groaned with each vigorous roll of Tsuna's hips, each twitch, shudder and spasm that causes their bodies to react in ways that should be considered illegal. Reborn lifts Tsuna up off of his cock and forces him back down, reaching deep inside of him and slamming into his prostate which causes blotches of white noise to burn away at Tsuna's consciousness. Their minds went blank, dimming into nothing at each yearning sound— _harder_ and _more_ and yes, yes, _yes_!— and every searing movement.

Reborn felt Tsuna's release when his body clenched down around the engorged member still buried inside of his core and milked it dry. Tsuna whimpered with release, left a shuddering, searing mess of what was supposed to be a Mafia Don. The last of their urgency was being torn away from them—numbing the part of Reborn that longed for this kind of companionship and replacing it with satiation and in the aftermath of pleasure, he wondered…

Why the fuck hadn't he done this sooner?

"You know," Tsuna said suddenly, drawing Reborn out of his thoughts. "If you wanted to start a relationship, all you had to do was ask." He mused. Reborn stiffened before relaxing.

"Up until a year ago, I didn't know you liked both genders." Reborn pointed out. "And by the time I did realize it, you had just had that not-quite breakup with Kyoko. I wasn't going to push my luck."

"I'm over her, Reborn. She's nothing to me anymore." Well… maybe not quite _nothing_ because of how long they had been together but close enough. She wasn't of any competition. "You might have some competition though." He added, a small smile flicking over his lips.

Reborn snorted, "Xanxus."

"How'd you guess?"

"I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with the way his eyes linger too long for my taste." Reborn gave a positively evil grin. "I'll enjoy knocking him down a few pegs. That boy has always been to cocky for my liking."

"Seduction of the Don, Vongola style." Tsuna snorted. "It's a good thing I'm used to our sparring sessions otherwise I'd be limping for the rest of my life."

"Damn straight you would be." Reborn said, leaning down to kiss Tsuna one last time before they both slipped into a deep and satiated slumber.

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	11. Chapter 11

**_Updated 12/7/13!_ **

* * *

The sun berated down on the glittering grass. Soft, musical laughter pealed threw the air. "It's so beautiful here, Tsu-kun!" Kyoko practically sang. With more pealing laughter, she cupped her hands and flung some water from the stream at the unsuspecting brunette.

"You're going to pay for that." Tsunayoshi purred playfully. Dark brown eyes took on the amber tint that he usually got when he was being playful. When he reached for her, she danced out of his grasp. "Kyoko…" He growled but it was a playful growl as he twisted towards her.

This time, when he grabbed her, she hadn't put up any resistance. She aligned her body with his, moving her hips in a sensual dance that required no music for assistance. "Take me, Tsunayoshi-kun." She breathed.

With the sun pouring in like a stream through the cracks in-between the leaves, he lead her to a heavily covered area with a soft cotton blanket spread out on the smooth underbrush. The moment she was completely bare, he traced his tongue down her chest, over the curve of her belly and then finally, to her sweet spot.

He licked and she shivered.

He stroked and she whimpered.

He sucked and she spilled over— _sensitive, oh so sensitive_ , he had teased her at the time—crying out his name.

Kyoko spread her fingers in his mousy brown locks as she reached her first climax of that evening. It certainly wouldn't be the last either. "Tsu-kun— _ah_ —please! I n _ee_ d you! Give me—nngh—what I— _hah_ —need."

"Hn…" Tsuna purred as he leaned down to kiss her. She could taste herself on his lips and it only made him that much more desirable. Fully erect against her, she took a breath and he jerked his hips forward. "I love you… love you… love you so much." She whispered as he delved and withdrew, thrust and pull, with her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. What felt like an eternity later, she shuddered and cried out, her fingernails digging sharply into his back as he, too, spilled over into bliss. "I'll love you forever, Sawada Tsunayoshi-kun." She crooned.

Forever…

* * *

Sasagawa Kyoko woke up with the word ' _forever_ ' on her lips. She sat up right in the bed, her cheeks flushed and skin moist with perspiration as her body remembered the orgasm she had in her dream—a dream that felt so real.

But that was it. It _had_ been real. It was only a year ago that they were going into the forest for days of relaxation to make love in a way that should have been reserved for lovers alone. It was only a year ago… but it felt like an eternity. She and Tsuna had been in a very real relationship and very much in love at the time.

But then she had gone and fucked it all up.

Doing her best not to think of the erotic memories that threatened to consume her, she walked into the bathroom and quickly washed away the scent of her dream before grabbing a yellow sundress and pulling it on. When she was dressed, Kyoko looked at herself in the full-length mirror. At the fresh age of seventeen, she had changed a lot from her middle-school years. Her hair was longer, now sweeping past her shoulders and crimping up slightly when it wasn't heavy with water. Her body had filled out but her form was nowhere near as attractive as Bianchi's—she thought this with a sneer that ruined her delicate features.

Deciding that she'd admired herself enough, Kyoko opened the door and walked into the living room of the flat she was currently staying in. Kurokawa Hana—high school graduate—was cooking breakfast for the two of them. They started living together after Kyoko's parents died in a car accident almost a year before she started high school. Ryohei, her elder brother, lived with Gokudera Hayato—which she thought was a bad idea all around—but was dating Hana who, at this point, knew everything about where he went during any and all school breaks.

Where they disappeared only four days ago.

Taking in her fresh appearance, Hana was not fooled. "Another dream about Sawada?" She asked.

Hana was one of the few people who knew what happened between Tsuna and Kyoko the night they split. Not even Tsuna's Guardians knew the whole story. Hana also knew that Kyoko had not stopped loving him either.

"Mm," She hummed in acknowledgement.

"You can't hide it forever, Kyoko." It was blunt, straightforward—so much so that Kyoko flinched at how carelessly the words had been thrown out there… if Hana did _carelessly_ at all. Her friend had seen it but only gave her a flat stare in return. "Did his group of lackeys threaten you?" She demanded.

"Not his Guardians…" Kyoko murmured.

"Who then?!" She demanded in a way that could only be described as imperiously. Everything Hana did had that air of disdain to her. Only Kyoko, Tsunayoshi, Ryohei, Reborn and Hibari saw through it.

"Reborn-san…" Kyoko replied softly. "Hibari-san enforced it. Every time I tried to talk to him about… well, anything, really, Hibari-san would always interfere in one way or the other." Kyoko sighed. "I'm going out for a bit. Do you want to come?"

"No. I have a date with Doc tonight." Hana said dismissively.

Doc was an old fat tabby with bottlebrush fur and a flat face as though he had run headlong into the back end of a car. He was quite large and a brilliant shade of orange—almost to the point of being red. When he meowed, he sounded like he was complaining about anything and everything wrong in the world. Ryohei had found him when he was a kitten on the side of the road and, after nursing him back to health with Tsuna's aid, gave him to Hana. When she asked Tsuna why he didn't keep the cat, Tsuna told her that he already had one and he was the jealous type.

At the time, she had laughed and brushed it off. It had been later that she realized that his 'cat' was actually a weapon.

"Well then I won't keep you." She grinned and started in on her breakfast.

* * *

"You were right to assume that there was a previous connection between the Vongola and the Zarkov brothers." Verde stated when Haru and Tsuna walked into the room. "There is an open rape case in America with a teen named Felipe Ramirez of Mexican descent. He was born in Mexico City and later migrated south to Brazil where his father served as a waiter in one of the many hotels. He went to school for interior design in San Diego, California but dropped out after the first semester because of a rape case that turned sour. At the time, he had no former connections with the Mafia… his father was suspected of money laundering from a major drug lord that crossed international borders in the late seventies but the accusations were never proven and the cartel was shut down through unofficial channels." Unofficial channels being an enemy cartel or an off the books recon mission sanctioned by the cops. Either way, there was no record of it.

"Who were the main suspects?" Tsuna asked. It was unfortunate but rape was a common crime in the Mafia especially when it involved the sons and daughters of drug lords and human trafficking—both crimes Tsuna despised greatly. He was working on purging the deeper parts of the underground before he started towards the surface. Once it was purged… well, he would just have to see what happened from there. There were no guarantees that he would survive, after all—even if Byakuran was on his side now.

"That's where things get sour. Two of the suspects were Russian natives, Demetrius and Alfred Zarkov. The third was an American by the name of Velyo Rodgers."

"Fuck me!" Xanxus snapped. "I should have known that little bastard would come back for revenge."

"Revenge?" Tsuna asked.

"Velyo Rodgers was the alias Federico took on after the American branch was on the brink of war with the Colombians. Fucking trashes." He seemed to have added the last insult as an afterthought. Tsuna resisted the urge to start laughing. "Demetrius and Zarkov had been deported as they were their illegally and there wasn't sufficient evidence pointing to 'Velyo' so it turned cold after Federico left. There shouldn't have been a trail linking back to Federico but…"

"There's nothing linking Felicia Calidori and Felipe Ramirez though." Tsuna countered thoughtfully. "I know that this is going to sound weird but the coroner's office in Russia is required to do an autopsy, right? I want a copy of it. I think someone was out to kill him long before we did… meanwhile, see if you can look into this Felipe Ramirez and where he is now."

"Already done." Verde stated, flipping through the dossier and pulling out a different folder. "I must admit, I was quite surprised… you seem to attract all of the weird ones."

Tsuna grabbed the file and his eyebrows shot up. "Well isn't that interesting…" He mused.

* * *

When Reborn woke up sometime late in the evening, he immediately heard the door do his suite open and then close. An intruder? Reborn tensed, eyes narrowing into slits as he searched for Leon but couldn't pick up the sense that the little chameleon was nearby. Reborn silently made his way to den, as swiftly as the shadows allowed him to go. He didn't need Leon. Reborn was just as lethal with his bare hands as he was his gun. He readied to knock out the intruder but a very familiar green CZ75 1ST pistol was pointed at his face.

"That's not a very nice greeting," Tsuna teased, pulling Leon back and petting his head fondly after he had transformed.

"Where'd you go?" Reborn asked.

"After a quick shower, I went to check in with Hayato. When I didn't make it to dinner, he got worried and was about to send Takeshi to look for me in your corner since he's the only one who knows where it is but I wanted to get there before that happened since and then I had a meeting with Verde who gave me some new information regarding our…open… investigation…" Tsuna trailed off and his eyes swept over Reborn's disheveled state—his hair was messier than normal and he was bare, save for the sheet wrapped around his waist. Reborn smirked, reaching forward and pulling Tsuna against his chest for a searing kiss that made the boy's knees weak. A startled moan escaped him.

"In that case, welcome back." Reborn purred, his breath fanning against Tsuna's flesh.

Tsuna snapped out of his haze, "You jerk! Just for that, I won't tell you what Verde found for me." Tsuna huffed and turned away.

Reborn blinked, "You have a new lead?" He asked.

"Something like that." Tsuna replied, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a rolled up file that he straightened out. Reborn flipped through it and resisted the very prominent urge to gape.

* * *

"You're saying _she_ was a _he_?"

"That was my reaction." Reborn snorted.

"I got the autopsy report from Japan regarding Demetrius' mysterious murder." Hibari stated. "Whatever that gut instinct of yours was telling you was right. He was a dead man walking before he ever got shot. Someone was feeding him near fatal doses of liquid nitrogen. His esophagus was frozen solid. One punch aimed at the center of his chest and everything from his throat down to the base of his ribs would have shattered."

"And I get the feeling it's going to be the same thing for Alfred's as well." Tsuna murmured. "So that's that. His… her... rapists are dead. It should end with that."

"Do you really think that's going to be the case?" Verde asked, flicking his glasses up.

"No." Tsuna admitted. "But we're at a standstill until something else comes up which means I can take care of other business." He looked at Verde. "Can you assemble the other Arcobaleno?" Slate grey eyes narrowed into slits. "Come now, Verde… you didn't think I was going to keep it a secret from them, did you?"

"No but one could hope." Verde stated emotionlessly. Reborn and Viper both stiffened—Verde only ever took that tone when something was awry in a very bad way. "Are you going to tell your untamable assassins?"

"Xanxus already knows." Tsuna said. Xanxus' eyes widened for a fraction of a second. "And by the end of the day, the rest of the Varia will as well."

"I still say knowing your information line is a bad idea." Verde stated.

"Verde, three quarters of the Trinisette already know and two major Families from the Old Blood Alliance are involved. I said it before and I'll say it again—Vendice is cruel and ruthless, not stupid."

The Old Blood Alliance was a group of Families that were around when the Trinisette had formed. The Vongola—as usual—was the head of it all. The Giglio Nero, Cavallone and Gesso Families were also part of the Alliance. The older Dons and surviving Guardians had also created a council shortly after the Alliance had been formed that acted as a separate entity from the Alliance but still acted in its favor often referred to as the Elder Council but that was a different story for a different day simply because dwelling on it made Tsuna's skin crawled.

Really. They were all just a bunch of shriveled up Dons that wanted to use the newer generation as political pawns because they had overstayed their welcome. Even Dino had agreed with him on that.

Too bad there were people who took their words seriously like a certain External Adviser that shall not be named in Tsuna's presence.

"And anyways, I'm not just doing this to get my Mist back. I'm doing this to make a statement." Tsuna finally said.

"What? That you're borderline suicidal and intend to take the Mafia down with you should anyone kill you before you decide you're ready to die?" Verde asked condescendingly.

"Ugh!" Tsuna groaned. "I am not suicidal!" He hissed.

"Your actions beg to differ."

"I can tell when what I'm going to do is going to kill me and injure me, Verde."

"Ah yes," Verde mused. "The Vongola Intuition… tell me, how does it work exactly?"

"Hm, let me think. Fuck you!" Tsuna seethed. "I'm not giving you any information on me so you can sell it on the black market."

"Pity. Information like that goes for big bucks these days… especially since you're actions as of late are causing quite the uproar." Verde sighed exaggeratedly.

"Eh?" Tsuna blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Just that the back alleys are burning with desperation. Everyone is dying to know who this new ruthless leader of the Vongola is so they can eliminate him before he becomes a threat to human and weapon trafficking businesses." Verde said flippantly. "Though, I have to wonder if you're really going to put a stop on _all_ weapon trafficking."

"Why wouldn't I?" Tsuna demanded.

"Dying Will Flames, Vongola? Surely you realize that by destroying those kinds of weapons, the Vongola's enemy list will increase tenfold."

Tsuna slumped in relief. "I already had a plan for that." Tsuna said after a few moments. "But it could take decades before I even reached that point. My count is low right now because I've been relying on personal resources to take down my blacklist. Once I step up, I'll be at a better angle to work on purging the Underground without so much killing."

"Oh?" Verde blinked. "I don't think you've ever elaborated _what_ , specifically, the blacklist is."

"A list of known Families that don't give a damn about the Omertà." Tsuna replied. "The ones that lack honor, that would tell the authorities everything should they be given the opportunity. They are the ones standing in my way to recreating my Vongola. That's why I'm not putting my name on them. They're all unofficial… because once I step up as Vongola Decimo, all of this hunting comes to and end."

"Meaning… what, exactly?" Xanxus asked.

"Meaning there will be no need for assassination squads or black ops teams." Tsuna said.

"There goes my paycheck." Squalo grumbled.

"That's not to say there won't be enemies because I assure you, there will be idiots out there that want me dead for some reason or another." Tsuna assured. "But I mean once that list has been taken off of the map, the lower Families will submit almost effortlessly… if only because they know I'm not playing around." Tsuna shrugged as though it didn't bother him about their reasoning behind it but Xanxus got the distinct impression that it did no matter what the little Don said.

"I thought you'd be Loyalty above Fear." Xanxus mused.

"Oh, there will be plenty of time to establish loyalty." Tsuna said dismissively. "Just at a later date."

"You are a strange one, Tsunayoshi." Verde stated. "At times I see you in the same light I'd seen Luce in… kind, gentle, selfless… but it is moments like these that remind me that you and she are quite different." Verde stood up. "But then again," He said, flicking up his glasses. "Perhaps that is a good thing." He smirked, the light flashing off of his lenses. "I will send out my request tonight. Expect them by tomorrow evening at the latest."

Tsuna traced a finger over the Vongola Ring with bemusement. "Selfless, huh?" He murmured. Tsuna twisted his chair so that he was looking out at the night skyline of Sicily. ' _No, Verde. I'm a selfish bastard through and through… but I wouldn't change it for the world even if I was given the choice._ '

* * *

A spider was crawling on the wall beside her.

Kyoko shuddered with disgust and flicked the bug away. She hated spiders… almost as much as she hated this dark, damp and cold cellar that teemed with them. Oh well, she thought. It was better spiders than rats. Rats bit and they carried diseases. Spiders could be dismissed with the flick of a finger.

Now, many would wonder what a beautiful woman with long, flowing blonde hair was doing in a dreary cell like this. Her eyes were a wonderful shade of amber that matched her flowing hair that crimped up and she was clad in clothes that could be considered middle class based at the very least. Only two hours previously, she had been walking the streets of Namimori's business district to get some dinner for the flat she had been sharing with Kurokawa Hana—her best friend—when someone stepped up behind her and pressed a cloth to her mouth. It smelled awful and the scent made her head spin.

And that was the last thing she remembered before waking up in a cell that was barely six-feet wide.

Why was she here? Well… that was an easy question. Her brother and his girlfriend, her best friend and her ex-boyfriend were all in the Mafia. How had they connected back to her? That was the real question.

She had no way of defending herself if her captors were to make an appearance… she knew that. These people were probably highly trained operatives that could easily force her down and…

She shuddered—she didn't want to think about that but she knew… the only hope she had was to cooperate…

…or be killed in consequence.

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	12. Chapter 12

**_Updated 12/7/13!_ **

* * *

Tsuna was nervous.

It had been twenty minutes since all of the Arcobaleno had been assembled in meeting room four and he _did not_ want to go in there and tell them what he had learned because he knew that they _would not_ react well… he looked at Verde who raised an eyebrow at him.

"You asked that I call them here. It's too late to back out now." He pointed out.

"Yeah. I know." Tsuna said pathetically and he _knew_ it looked pathetic. "I just… don't know how they'll react. It's like betrayal all over again… and how do I justify keeping it from them for this long?"

"Tell them the truth." Verde said indifferently. "If there's one thing we understand, it's fear... and besides…" Verde put a hand on his shoulder. "We are all indebted to you for aiding us in breaking the curse."

Tsuna took a breath and put up his impassive mask. He pushed open the door and the chatter died down instantly. It took all of Tsuna's self restraint not to bolt from the room and have Xanxus tell them in his place as he had told the Varia the night before which… had ended better than he would have hoped.

But this was the Arcobaleno—the ones that this involved more directly and Tsuna had no idea how they would react. Viper had been excused from the meeting because of her standing as an Arcobaleno voluntarily but Tsuna knew that she would take the news just as bad as everyone else.

"Why so nervous, kora?" Colonnello asked.

"Hair triggered." Tsuna said simply. Colonnello didn't buy it and neither did Reborn, apparently.

"Liar." Reborn stated. "If you're going to lie, try not to do it to people who have thirty years or more under their belt." He stated dryly. "And to have Verde assemble the rest of them? This had better be important."

Tsuna flinched. Verde glared at Reborn. "I assure you, imbecile. It is."

"Then hurry up and tell us already!" Skull demanded childishly.

Tsuna sighed and caught Reborn's hand before he could reach for Leon. "Let it be, Reborn." He said tiredly. Skull fell silent after that. "About a half a year prior to the curse being lifted, I came across a segment of information about what happens to the Arcobaleno after the pacifiers begin rejecting the Flames that fuel them." That got their attention. Lal and Colonnello both sat up straighter, Skull shifted nervously in his spot, Viper's eyes narrowed behind her hood and Fon's hands clenched around his tea. "In order to preserve the pacifiers, the curse rendered you infantile to keep your flames pure. When the curse was broken, the pacifiers should have rejected you but my Flames acted as a barrier between your Flames and the pacifiers directly. The Flames that pass through the barrier are purified and accepted by the pacifiers. That's why you are still Arcobaleno without the curse. Had I not intervened when I did, the curse would have been forcedly ripped from your bodies causing you to grow all at once with little adjustment in-between."

"And?" Skull asked looking a bit green at the idea. "What would have happened to us?"

"Best case scenario?" Tsuna asked quietly. "You would have died mid-transformation."

"What's… the worst case?" Fon asked.

Tsuna looked away. "Tsuna…" Reborn growled. He recoiled slightly under the weight of his voice. Verde put a hand on Tsuna's shoulder.

"They deserve to know."

"I know." Tsuna replied a bit too forcefully. "I just wish I wasn't the one to deliver the news." His eyes darkened. Luce had screwed them in more ways than one and by telling them this… it would be finalizing her damnation. They would realize just how much their Sky had truly betrayed them… and it hurt Tsuna to be the one to tell them that. "The worst case scenario would be becoming one of the Vendice."

* * *

_**BANG!** _

The gun's recoil shook his arm.

_**BANG! BANG!**_ —the autopsy report had confirmed his suspicions. Both men had traces of liquid nitrogen in their esophagus and intestines. One warm cocktail or even a solid punch to the throat was all it would have taken to end their lives— _ **BANG! BANG!**_ —he had told Reborn and the other Arcobaleno _everything_ he knew about the Vendice—about how their bodies had become torn and mutilated because of the forced and accelerated growth without a regenerative source.

**_BANG!_ **

_Click. Click. Click._

The gun clattered to the floor and Tsuna collapsed to his knees.

What had he done?

_What_ had he _done_?

He'd told the Arcobaleno… he'd told them everything. They weren't his Elements and yet he trusted them like such… and they had probably trusted him as well.

' _That's all over now, isn't it?_ ' A voice sneered in the back of his mind. Tsuna recoiled sharply, shrinking in on himself.

…it was over, wasn't it?

The intercom stuttered to life, " _Decimo. Signore Reborn is asking for you._ " Tsuna flinched as he picked up the fallen—and empty—gun before walking over to the communication device.

"I will be out in a moment." He said before taking his hand off of the button.

" ** _No_** _, you'll unlock this damn door before I decide that you've kept be waiting long enough and break it down._ " Reborn said darkly. Tsuna laughed lightly, looking down at his trembling hands. He was always so forceful.

Trying not to think about the fact that no one would know if he was killed because he'd disabled the cameras for some alone time or the fact that he probably looked like a mess, Tsuna punched in the reactivation code and fled to the bathroom before the doors could open. He scrubbed his face clean to hide the tear tracks and reloaded his gun to mask the fact that he had come in here to hide the tear tracks.

When he walked out, he wished he'd stayed in the bathroom.

Reborn hadn't come alone. Colonnello and Lal were with him. "There was no need to threaten me, Reborn." Tsuna said in his best disinterested voice. He almost winced at how hoarse he sounded but gave nothing away. He walked past them and entered in a new code for a different set up—this one was a skill shot. Ricocheting bullets was harder than it sounded especially because they lost power when they hit something other than the target. Luckily, Tsuna knew how to make them regain that previous speed.

But really, it was all to distract him so he didn't have to look at the three Arcobaleno in the room.

"Would you have come out?" Reborn asked.

No… no he wouldn't have. "Yes." Tsuna lied, giving him a flat stare.

"You're a shitty liar, kora." Colonnello mused.

Tsuna sighed through his nose. "Did you come here to badger my lying abilities or are you going to shoot?"

Reborn grabbed the still loaded gun and set it on the table. "We came to talk." Tsuna would have preferred it if they would have just shot him. Reborn—being ever the expert at reading Tsuna—raised an eyebrow. "You act like I'm about to torture you."

"Aren't you, though?" Tsuna asked before he could stop himself. "Reborn, I just confirmed something that Verde says you've spent decades denying."

"And?"

"And? What do you mean ' _and_ '?" Tsuna demanded. Reborn tugged on the fluffier part of Tsuna's hair. The teen hissed at the feeling and rubbed the spot where Reborn pulled. He blinked up at the hitman owlishly. What…?

Colonnello burst out laughing. "He's too cute, kora!"

"C-Cute?" Tsuna demanded, his cheeks tinting against his will.

"You've got a twisted sense of what's cute." Lal commented but she silently agreed with him.

"So?" Tsuna asked, flicking the safety on and off and on again. "What is it you want to talk about?"

"Where did you get the information?" Reborn asked.

"Estraneo apparently didn't want to let their most prized experiment go." Tsuna said darkly. "Before I completely annihilated what was left of their pathetic grouping, I took the information. I took the profiles for Ken, Chikusa and Mukuro so I could create a medical background that only Ryohei will ever see—with Mukuro's permission of course—and destroyed the rest… save for the file regarding the Arcobaleno. Verde was the one who told me what was on the file."

"How did you get the idea to use your flames to break the curse, kora?" Colonnello asked.

"Intuition, I guess." Tsuna admitted. "He said that the poison he created was originally designed in order to break the curse but he was missing something that kept escaping his grasp. I don't know what I was thinking, honestly." It had been symbolic really—Sky Flames had been what broke the curse… and it was a Sky that had always escaped his grasp. Such petty sentiments.

Judging from the distant look in Colonnello's and Lal's eyes, they were thinking the same thing.

"And anyways, I'd already resolved after you told me about the curse to find a way to break it. Bribing Verde had already been part of the plan. I only used him to break into the weapons' storage unit because the timing was off." Tsuna finalized.

"Meaning what exactly?" Lal asked.

"Meaning I would have given my Flames as specimens earlier had the situation allowed it?" Tsuna offered. "Or that, had I not been tracking down Yameda Kuromatsu at the time, I would have been focusing solely on the Arcobaleno? Either way, both explanations are true."

"Who's Kuromatsu?" Colonnello asked.

Before Tsuna could stop himself, the images flooded his mind.

"—

_"Nnh—_ _Kuro-kun!_ _" The voice rings out through the room and Tsuna nearly has a heart attack, grabbing his gun and whipping around in the hallway. The source of the voice seemed to be the alit room with a slightly ajar door. Tsuna felt his eyes narrowing. He keeps his gun ready and nudged the slightly ajar door open. "_ _More!_ _" Tsuna frowned as he scanned the small room. The voice was coming from the TV which was faced away from the door. The man watching it had dark hair and glazed blue eyes. He was dead if the bullet hole in-between his eyes were any clue. "_ _Ahh!_ _" The female voice cried out._

_'_ _I'll never understand why assassins watch porn in their free time._ _' Tsuna thought with disdain. He stepped into the room and looked around. The only inhabitant was dead and it was recent. '_ _Another dead end—Yameda Kuromatsu._ _' Tsuna sighed. '_ _I won't get any closer at this rate…_ _'_

_"_ _Kyoko…_ _" Tsuna stiffened and turned towards the TV. "_ _Kyoko, wait! It's not what you think! Please, let me explain!_ _"_

_"_ _You were recording us having_ **_sex_ ** _! What am I supposed to think?!_ _"_

_At the shrill demands, Tsuna frowned. This looked like a blackmail video but the woman's face isn't recorded. Grabbing the remote from Kuromatsu's hand, Tsuna rewound the video to the beginning. The cops weren't due to make an appearance until someone called them and Tsuna certainly wasn't going to call them._

_Tsuna isn't sure when he realized that there was something distinctly familiar about the sped up figures doing things in reverse but he knew that there was_ _something_ _going on there. It's at that point that he realizes that he really, really shouldn't be watching this video. He knew even before he pressed play that it was going to end badly._

_When Tsuna pressed play, he almost stumbled back as though he had been shot down by one of Reborn's bullets. His stomach tightens and he forgets how to breathe as the images on the screen pound into his memory. On the screen, Sawagawa Kyoko, is languidly moving her hips as she straddles another man—Yameda Kuromatsu to be more specific. Tsuna felt white-hot rage coil in his gut and before he realized what he was doing, he fired the gun at the TV screen with a shrill snarl that could have been a scream._

_How could she…? How_ _could_ _she?! He had been prepared to give her everything!_

_The sound of footsteps made Tsuna stir from his angered and hurt state. "Who's there?!" He demanded, raising his gun towards the door. A startled gasp erupted from the person standing there. "Kyoko-chan…"_

_"You… you monster…" Kyoko whispered, a hand against her mouth as she took in the scene before her._

—"

' _She called me a monster…_ ' Tsuna thought bitterly. ' _But wasn't it her that was the monster to begin with?_ ' She had manipulated him into believing that she truly loved him. She had tried to drive a wedge in-between him and Reborn… in the beginning, he hadn't known why but he supposed it was rather obvious now. Realizing he had kept them waiting, Tsuna sighed. "Someone I wish I would have killed myself." Tsuna said finally. "He was dead when I found him."

Maybe it was the way his eyes looked—the way they became emotionless and blank—but no one asked him what he meant by that.

* * *

The Arcobaleno had left. Lal had gone back to her post at the CEDEF and Viper had gone back to the Varia estate just down the road. Reborn and Colonnello had given a good fight before Colonnello waved the white flag and backed off. The blond lingered around the training grounds to check out the newbies but otherwise didn't appear much.

Currently, Tsuna was in a meeting that was bordering on exhausting and boring. It was the perfect time to mourn. He drummed his fingers against the desk as he let himself mourn for those he had killed— _murdered_ —killed in the line of duty. He hated killing but at the same time, it released something… primal… inside of him. Something cold and dark. Something _alluring_ and seductive all at the same time. It was disgusting. It was foul. It was… was…

…the best thing he'd ever experienced.

This was the side that his Guardians feared—the Don Tsunayoshi. His Boss Mode.

Tsuna sighed and turned to look out the window of the Don's office, thinking about the… _flings_ —for lack of a better term—he'd been getting involved in as of late. After he and Kyoko split, he hadn't really thought about sleeping with anyone—hence the reason why he had been a backdoor virgin. Somehow, between being doped on bloodlust and drugged with a hyped up version of Amortentia (a date-rape drug, often referred to as Love Potion), Tsuna had formed a… relationship with Xanxus… and Reborn… well, Tsuna wasn't too sure what he had going with Reborn. He knew of the hitman's feelings for him but neither of the men had made a move to further their… relationship.

' _Can you feel... the love tonight?_ ' Tsuna thought snidely before inwardly laughing bitterly. What bullshit. He gave up on love a long time ago. His only love now was his guardians and the wild rollercoaster that was the Vongola.

"… now is Mukuro's release." Reborn was saying. The mention of his Mist made Tsuna stir from his thoughts.

"Wait, back up now. The last thing I heard was that you were dead-set _against_ having him released." Tsuna looked at him suspiciously.

"Oh, I'm still against it." Reborn assured. "But _you're_ adamant so I'll accept it but if he steps one step out of line, I'll shoot him." Reborn glared at him, daring him to protest.

' _You'd have to get through me first._ ' Tsuna thought as Ken protested quite loudly at that. "Who are you to threaten us, byon?!"

"That's enough, Ken." Mukuro—the person in question that was currently possessing Chrome—said coolly. "Kufufu, at least we know that this Arcobaleno is in for Tsunayoshi's best interests."

"Damn straight." Reborn said with an air of indifference. "But, in light of more recent information, I'm all for giving Vendice the one up." Tsuna snorted. They'd be doing more than that… "On one condition."

He knew it. "What?"

"You're going to be indebted to them." Reborn stated. "They _will_ call on that."

"No I won't." Tsuna countered. "I have a negotiation strategy. Blackmail works best if there's something positive to gain from it on both ends."

"Tch. Stupid brat. Don't use my words against me." Reborn bit back good naturedly. That was the problem with having a student that surpassed you. Half of the time, the teacher could never tell when the student was using what he taught him against him… and then, of course, there were the times that the student did it just to be an ass. When Tsuna didn't explain, Reborn pressed, "And? What could Vendice possibly have to gain from this?"

Tsuna opened his mouth to answer but closed it a second later. Masking his expressions, Tsuna answered with an evasive, "Don't worry about it." He could tell that Reborn wanted to argue the point but Tsuna wasn't going to tell him anything until Mukuro was out of Vendicare and safe at Vongola Manor. "Any luck with our current case?"

"It's all back-track information." Hayato admitted. "Our female's male counterpart was a model student, complete with a two-bedroom flat in San Diego, California and citizenships in Brazil, Columbia, Mexico and America. No prior run-ins with the police, CIA, Vendicci—nothing. I did, however, look up the cold-case. The California SVU was cooperative so we have access to the whole file.

"It started out as a late-night party with a couple of good friends and turned hanky when a group of foreigners started hassling them. Two of these foreigners in question were our Russian brothers. The other three were unidentified as their DNA wasn't in any systems but there was a list of suspects. Anyways, Felipe got separated from his group and was dragged into the alleyway where they brutally assaulted him. His friends say he never was the same after that. The case went cold with no more leads to follow and they were shipped back." Hayato paused. "He went missing roughly three months after the assault."

"Missing. Is that what they're calling it these days?" Squalo said dryly.

"Apparently." Tsuna said in the same tone.

"There's more." Hibari said. "The other three suspects are all dead and—just to be thorough—I had them look at the remains of Demetri Volkov and they found traces of liquid nitrogen in what was left of his esophagus."

Tsuna's lips curved. "Have I ever told you that I'm madly in love with you?" Tsuna asked with a sweet smile.

"No but there are ways for you to show me how much you love me." Hibari's lips curled into a shark-like grin. His eyes gleamed with a predatory light that held so many implications behind it that Tsuna was hard-pressed not to blush and stammer like a teenage girl.

"I'm honored I've enraptured your attention on such a level." Tsuna's sweet smile turned mockingly wistful. "But it would never work between us. You're just too predatory for my taste."

A dark chuckle shook Hibari's shoulders. "Then maybe you should stop being the perfect prey." Tsuna looked up at Hibari to question him but the ex-prefect had already left the meeting room.

"I'll never understand him." Hayato said exasperatedly.

"I think Tsuna and Reborn are the only two who ever will." Takeshi remarked.

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	13. Chapter 13

**_Updated 12/7/13!_ **

* * *

Tsuna was on edge.

He was very good at hiding it around his Guardians but when they looked the other way, both Xanxus and Reborn knew that he expanded his senses and checked the surrounding area before he laughed at whatever it was the Guardian he was spending time with said, even if it hadn't been particularly funny. "Oh, please tell me I am not the only one who is noticing this." Xanxus grumbled under his breath when he saw Tsuna spinning around to meet his gaze in the courtyard below the office window that he was looking out.

"He's good at hiding it." Reborn remarked. "Unfortunately, when he gets like this, there's nothing I can do. His Intuition is telling him that something bad is going to happen soon and it's causing him to jump at the slightest sounds."

Crimson eyes and amber ones clashed on contact before Tsuna smirked. Xanxus reared back and scowled. That fucking brat was toying with him! "Feisty little brat." He hissed. He felt something within his Will stir, his desire to dominate shifting to fit the situation at hand.

He was going to punish that little brat.

His lips curved into a feral smirk. ' _A challenge? Well then… who am I do reject the chance to hunt?_ '

Reborn watched as Xanxus' normally bloodthirsty eyes darkened a shade with lust. He felt his own lips twitch. "You know," He said, drawing the assassin's attention to him. As they were waiting until Timoteo arrived to assist him in filing the seemingly never-ending pile of paperwork, they were alone for the moment… which was just as well. Reborn had some things he wanted to say. "As his tutor, it's my job to know who the suitors are in his life. They could become distractions…" Reborn's smirk spread into a wicked grin. "…and competition."

Xanxus glared at him before he smirked. "I hate to break it to you but I don't exactly see you as much competition."

Sparks flared between their respectable gazes.

"Tsunayoshi is _mine_." They both said at the exact same moment, their voices blending as though they were one.

"Oh dear…" Timoteo said as he rolled in on his wheelchair. "Am I interrupting something?"

Xanxus smirked, "Nope. Not at all."

"We were just talking." Reborn said in the same condescendingly innocent tone.

"Talking…" Timoteo said slowly. "About what, might I inquire?" When he didn't receive an answer, he smiled a bit. "About dear Tsunayoshi, I'd imagine."

"The fuck?" Xanxus reared back. "How do you _do_ that?"

"Now Xanxus, I may be old but I am no fool." Timoteo said, flicking through his paperwork. "I have seen the way the two of you look at him when you believe he is not looking." Xanxus grumbled under his breath about old men and their all seeing, omniscient abilities while Reborn snorted. Timoteo paused and looked thoughtful. "You know, I overheard a conversation between young Takeshi and Tsunayoshi… he said something about going to his racing grounds sometime this afternoon. Perhaps by the time we finish this." He motioned at the pile which seemed considerably smaller with two assassins who were well acquainted with exhausting process of paperwork.

They were finished by noon.

* * *

**_SCREEEECH!_ **

Tsuna's laughter was drowned out by the exhilarating sound of tires scraping against the asphalt. The sound of the engine revving made Tsuna's breathing accelerate. "Control the throttle," He said breathlessly as he twisted the steering wheel. "Steer into the turn," He whispered, the car's engine drowning out his whisper. "Steer against it." The car twisted again and Tsuna threw his head back. "Punch the gas, drop the brake, pop the clutch." He pushed the shift stick forward and spun the steering wheel to the side causing the car to spin through the wide entrance door of the garage and land almost perfectly in the spot designated for this car. Tsuna smiled, raking his hands through his hair.

"The 1970 Classic Dodge Charger. You know, when you told me you had a need for speed, I had hoped that it was a little less extreme than this." Xanxus commented from the onlooker's balcony. He was leaning against the guard-rail while Reborn was leaning against the wall. Tsuna wondered if Reborn was afraid of heights.

"And they aren't very good for drifting either." Reborn added.

"Really? It managed just fine for me." Tsuna said as he removed the pin holding his hair up. The tail fell and he shook it much like a lion would shake his mane. "Besides, I'm just killing some steam." He said, turning away from them.

"You've been rather on edge lately." Reborn commented.

"Yeah well… with all that's happened lately. My nerves are just shot." Tsuna said evasively.

"Liar," Xanxus stated. "I know the difference between paranoia and legitimately believing that something is going to happen. This," He motioned towards Tsuna who was scanning the shadows of the garage. The brunet looked up sheepishly. "…is legit."

"What's got you so hair triggered?" Reborn added.

"Headache. Nothing serious. Adrenalin is a natural pain reliever that helps. See?" Tsuna looked past them at the Chevelle and the Porsche Spyder sitting side by side. They were both black but the Porshe had white ghost-flames painted around the front. Tsuna felt his mouth curve suddenly. "Want to test it out?" He asked.

Xanxus raised an eyebrow and Reborn smirked. "I get the Spyder." Reborn stated.

"I want my baby." Tsuna shrugged. "Come on, Xanxus. It's power play."

"Power play. Right. These are your cars." He said wryly.

Reborn chuckled smoothly. "Maybe the cub isn't a fill blown lion just yet."

Xanxus glared flatly at him. "Now, Reborn, if Xanxus doesn't want to race, he doesn't have to." Tsuna said in that peacekeeper way. Xanxus smirked smugly. "That doesn't mean I'm going to pass up the opportunity to show my adoring teacher that the student has surpassed him."

"Is that so?" Reborn said in a tone that said he was out to make Tsuna's life a living hell should his words be all hot air. Tsuna stiffened at the tone and edged away from him causing the older assassin to smirk. "What do I get when I win?"

Tsuna had to seriously consider that. What was he willing to risk? He had a good suspicion on what it was Reborn wanted from him so he simply smirked and said, "Anything you want."

That seemed to have been what Xanxus needed to hear as well.

"I'll take the Charger." Xanxus said in a way that said he was trying to be discreet and completely failing at it.

* * *

Tsuna scowled at Reborn who was twirling his keys rather smugly. Even Xanxus looked like his day had turned unusually foul. It was when he was about to leave that he got the surprise of his life and, perhaps, that wasn't entirely a bad thing.

They had just showered when it happened. Xanxus had been ready to leave when Reborn spoke up and caught his attention. "If there is one thing I pride myself in," Reborn said before he could leave. "It is being unpredictable."

"And?" Tsuna asked before Xanxus could. "What's that got to do with me losing a race?"

It had happened too quickly for Tsuna to process. His hands were bound by a very familiar green ribbon that wouldn't budge no matter how much he tried. Reborn pulled Tsuna back and bit at the junction between his shoulder and his neck. Xanxus' eyes widened at the implications and Tsuna whimpered. "N-not… fair…"

"Since when have I ever been fair, Tsunayoshi?" Reborn asked against his neck. Xanxus snorted. He didn't play fair—he played fucking _dirty_ … not that Xanxus was going to complain because the sounds that Tsunayoshi were making were making it rather hard to keep his distance. As it was, Reborn was straining his self-control.

There _had_ to be a catch.

"No catch," Reborn replied as he stripped Tsuna's shirt off and toyed with the smaller boy's nipples. "Just a power play."

And that was how Tsuna found himself sandwiched between two very powerful and _very_ attractive assassins. The combined, clashing, auras that both trained assassins gave off was sending Tsuna into a spiraling downfall of _madness_ and if he didn't get a hold on his emotions soon, he knew that he was going to drag both men down with him. But even despite that, Tsuna was sure that he'd never feel like this with anyone other than these two sinfully attractive killers ever again—that feeling being increasingly warm and aroused while also being so terrified that his body was reacting submissively to both of their wills.

It was exhilarating.

Tsuna felt the sleeping lion stir in the back of his mind and it let out a long, drawn out snarl. He wanted to put up a fight. Tsuna felt amusement twirling somewhere in the semi-conscious states of his mind when Xanxus growled lowly at his challenge.

Tsuna ran his teeth over Xanxus's bottom lip and the older male reacted accordingly. He ran a hand through Tsuna's dark brown hair and pulled back which caused Tsuna to hiss in pain. "Challenging me… will only get you _punished_ …" Xanxus snarled.

"Nngh… punishment is—" Tsuna sucked in a hiss when Xanxus's fingers dug into his scalp—not hard enough to draw blood but still painful—and Reborn's nails raked over his side. "F-Fuck!" Tsuna cried out as Xanxus grinded their hips together which caused his knee to rub in all the right motions against the older man's clothed shaft. Tsuna's rounded hips rubbed against Reborn who was pressed firmly behind him and— _oh_ , was it **_killing_** him.

Reborn's gun-calloused hand trailed up his chest and turned his head away from Xanxus's wicked mouth so that he could assault the heated cavern himself which left his neck bared to Xanxus. Not that Tsuna minded. Xanxus trailed his errantly experienced lips down his jaw and to his collarbone where he began biting, sucking and licking—finding the perfect combination of all three actions.

Reborn didn't taste the same as Xanxus did—unlike Xanxus's fiery, earthy taste, Reborn tasted like gunpowder and _danger_. It wasn't at all what he expected but at the same time, he wasn't surprised.

Reborn twitched at the feeling of Tsuna opening his mouth for better access, his breath hitching and becoming ragged with each passing moment. Reborn was excited; he recognized that tightness growing within his pants below anywhere, growing bigger, harder, at each grind, stroke and reflexive whimper that Tsuna made—and it wasn't just Tsuna making things this way. Xanxus, with the way he would shift and cause Tsuna to jerk, also played a role.

Alas, misery _did_ enjoy company and judging by the growing bulge in Xanxus's leather pants, he wasn't doing any better than he was. Actually, he was probably restraining himself from outright _ravishing_ the small unusually experienced boy.

Tsuna seemed to sense both of their discomfort and ran a hand up Xanxus's well toned abdomen.

At this point, all three of them were beyond comprehending the consequences of their actions. For Tsuna, it was because there were two of them—two devastatingly attractive assassins, trained killers—making his sinful desires, his dark side, come to light, each making him want more, each fulfilling his needs. Tsuna's mind went wild as he felt Xanxus run has hand up his abdomen in a ravaging movement that sent trails of fire dancing over his nerves and he _knew_ , without question, that this… unbearable heat… was Xanxus' Will being pressed against his skin. It wasn't as though any of them minded though. Tsuna, not wanting to be the only one naked, began undoing the buttons to Xanxus's shirt and shoving it off which it fell to the floor, along with his jacket.

Reborn smirked slightly and leaned forward. His teeth grazed over Tsuna's shoulder before he bit down. Hard. Tsuna cried out at the pain and arched in an attempt to escape—or ease the access… it could have been either of the two but the latter was more likely than the former. Blood trailed down his shoulder but Reborn just lapped up the crimson liquid without much hesitation.

"F-Fuck!" Tsuna cried out when Xanxus finally let him breath only for him to mimic Reborn's actions and bite down on Tsuna's opposing, unmarked, shoulder. Each precisely timed movement was maddeningly arousing for all three of them.

That was when Reborn felt it—it was like liquid fire running through his veins. It set every nerve ending on fire, made his lust burn all that much more brighter… it was as though something inside of him, something untouchable, was being caressed by two different entities. Both of them were strong, both of them arcane but what was more, both of them were undeniably protective and possessive. ' _Ah…_ ' The barely lucid part of his mind thought. ' _This must be… their Wills._ ' Well… one thing was for certain.

He was never going to feel anything like this anywhere else.

* * *

Tsuna made a sound when he tried to stand. "Remind me again why I agreed?"

"If you recall, we didn't exactly give you a choice." Xanxus pointed out.

Their power play had lasted for hours. Tsuna wasn't entirely sure _how_ it happened considering he usually had an iron firm grasp on his Will but somehow, Reborn had been entrapped in a vice-like grip between _both_ of the Skies' Wills… and he seemed to have rather enjoyed it. So while Tsuna had been the one _physically_ in-between them, Reborn had gotten all of the backlash… which wasn't necessarily a bad thing from the pleased look in his eye. Even Xanxus seemed to preen under the aftermath. Of course, that had been nothing in comparison to when they had _both_ begun pounding into Tsuna… the smaller boy hadn't been sure if he could take both of them at the same time but he did. Oh, hell, he did.

And the best part? In the aftermath, there had been no awkwardness. Xanxus and Reborn had played it off rather well. Tsuna had been worried that they would have let their pride get in the way but they hadn't and when Tsuna couldn't stay awake, they had both stayed with him and tended to his body so the pain wouldn't be as bad when he woke. That wasn't to say that there wasn't _any_ pain but it hadn't been as bad as it could have been. Tsuna could mask it better than he could have had they just left him.

Currently, Tsuna was trying to stand while Reborn lounged on the king sized bed. They had used one of the underground passages as a shortcut to Reborn's secluded section of the mansion where they had jumped into their second—and final—round. Xanxus was standing by the open double French-style doors smoking and Tsuna was sitting on the edge of the bed trying to stand with little success.

"You're not going to stand without help." Reborn commented.

"Bite me—NO!" Tsuna hissed, twisting when Reborn moved. A pained sound escaped him and Reborn shifted in concern. "I'm fine. I don't need help. I'm just… taking it slow."

"Because you're going to fall on your face if you don't."

"Right—shut up!" Tsuna glared at Xanxus. "This is your fault anyways." He mumbled under his breath.

"Complaining?" Xanxus asked.

"No." Tsuna replied honestly. He was just annoyed that he couldn't stretch his legs. He wasn't used to sitting still anymore.

Reborn sighed, "It's not a crime to relax, Dame-Tsuna. You have to pace yourself or you're going to fall sick within your first year."

"I can't help it, Reborn." Tsuna sighed. "That's part of the reason why I want to take a trip to Monte Carlo after I graduate. That's what the year after school is for. I need to remember how to be a civilian." ' _And I can't do that with you there._ ' Tsuna looked away guiltily. They had discussed this before and it always made Tsuna's heart clench—now more so than before because they were… intimate.

"Tsuna," Reborn sighed, sitting up. "I know what it means to need time to adjust—believe me, I know. I spent four years in exile trying to adjust to the body of a child after Luce's betrayal." He smirked a bit. "Your Guardians will like the attention."

Which brought up another problem.

"And if they want me in a way that interferes with our… relationship?" He had to pause on the word because he wasn't sure what they were exactly. Reborn seemed to sense this. Xanxus did as well because he was putting out the end of his cigarette and stroking the side of Tsuna's face while Reborn draped himself over Tsuna's shoulders, mindful of his sensitivities at the moment.

"You're a Sky." Reborn said simply. "I know that that means being to them what they need to live and if that means sleeping with them occasionally, so be it." His eyes darkened a bit. "But know this. They may belong to you but you belong to _me_. Both of you."

Xanxus snorted. "Right." He said sarcastically but hey, he'd always been a fighter.

Tsuna savored the feeling of being treasured before he looked up at Xanxus. "Is it like that for them as well?"

Xanxus smirked and dropped his hand. "Not always but there are days when they need to be reminded who they belong to—especially Bel."

"Have you linked their Wills with yours yet?" Tsuna asked.

Xanxus frowned a bit. "No. I'm still missing the Cloud Element… though, that stray cat of yours is coming close."

"Who? Haru?" Tsuna asked. "She's feisty, Xanxus. And she scratches."

"She also wants to be Tsuna's wife." Reborn mused and Tsuna groaned.

"No. She doesn't. She hasn't wanted a relationship with me since she started training under Bianchi and I don't think I could even think I could consider a relationship with her. She's too… clingy." Tsuna winced.

Xanxus made a sound. "She's nothing in comparison to Lussuria, I'm sure."

Tsuna shuddered. "If that one doesn't keep his hands to himself, I'm cutting them _off_." Tsuna grumbled.

Their relationship was far from conventional… but they knew that they'd make it work. Somehow.

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **

**_PS:_** I can't write 3sums ;p


	14. Chapter 14

**_Updated 12/7/13!_ **

* * *

Vendice had reached out.

A message had come early that morning while he was still recovering from yesterday's wild afternoon. Hayato's expression was pinched and Takeshi's trademark grin was nowhere in sight. The message stated that Verde and the Vongola were to stand down or Rokudo Mukuro was to be executed.

Tsuna burned the letter with his Vongola Flame, knowing they would sense it.

"Perhaps I wasn't clear enough." Tsuna mused. "Verde. It's time to work."

"As you please," Verde said, his eyes glinting with malicious intent. It wasn't every day you got to see Vongola Decimo at work.

The meeting place was an abandoned warehouse on the docs. It had been a four hour ride in the making but Verde knew it was well worth it. "Wait here. If anything happens, return to HQ and tell them that the trigger has been pulled." Tsuna commanded the driver and Verde at the same time. Druitt nodded once and Tsuna walked inside with an impassive mask in place.

Jagger looked at the young teen before him. He had sensed it when the letter was burned as it had an official seal made of Vendice's black flame. " **What is it Vongola Decimo wants with us?** " He asked in a menacing tone. He was slightly disappointed when the impassive mask coating the young teen's face didn't shatter. It was unnerving to say the least. It meant that their threats would be immaterial at best.

"Vendice has something that belongs to me." He said coldly. Immediately, the name Rokudo Mukuro came to mind. Jagger shifted imperceptivity."I want him back."

" **We do not release prisoners.** " Jagger replied evasively. " **Or has that not been made clear enough?** "

"I think you'll make an exception." The little brunette rocked back on his heels. Jagger made a move to leave. "Vendice has pushed my hand to its limits." Tsuna stated. "On top of the fact that I have an information line that is under strict orders to spread the knowledge throughout the underground should anything happen to me, I also have an ace..."

" **An ace?** "

"I shattered the Arcobaleno curse once already. I can do it again… what would happen if Vendice was rendered _mortal_?"

Jagger said nothing. On one hand, this kind of information was sworn under the Omertà. They couldn't take the knowledge to any higher up officials but on the other, there were those who had little regard for the Omertà and, if it meant Vendice's destruction, would shatter that code within a moment's notice.

He would have to talk to Bermuda about this.

" **I must… talk to my officials.** " Best not to make any promises.

"You do that." Tsuna said in a tight-but-amiable tone. Jagger departed without a dismissal as the black swirling portal of Night Flames granted him access to Vendicare.

He had much to say to his boss.

* * *

"Why are you doing this?" Kyoko asked, desperation dying her tone as her hands were chained above her head. "Let me go! I'll do anything."

"Honey, the question isn't whether or not _you'll_ do anything… the question is whether or not your boyfriend will." The dark haired woman sauntered closer to Kyoko, gripping her cheeks and forcing her to meet her emerald green eyes.

"Y-you're wrong…" Kyoko said softly. "He's not my boyfriend." She averted her eyes but couldn't look away. She settled for laughing bitterly instead. "Not anymore."

Felicia shifted, her eyes narrowing slightly. What could she mean by ' _not anymore_ '? Putting up her amiable façade, Felicia let go of Kyoko. "Tell big sister Felicia all about it."

"There's nothing to tell." Kyoko said sadly, tears staining her face. "It was my fault. I _know_ it was my fault…" She gnawed on her bottom lip.

"You still love him." Felicia said quietly.

"Yes…" Kyoko whispered. "I still love him… and he doesn't love me back." Anger filtered into her eyes. "He loves his precious _Vongola_ more."

Felicia shifted, "Take away the problem if there is no liable solution." She leaned forward. "Join me and we can destroy the Vongola."

"Destroy?" Kyoko asked, fear lacing her eyes. "No… _no_! You c- _can't_! If you destroy the Vongola… you'll… you'll kill my Tsu-kun!"

Felicia tutted gently. "No, no, dear. There are ways of destroying without killing—surely you know that, right?" She reached forward, stroking the strawberry-blonde hair. "I will not kill him or his Guardians." She had to remind herself that Kyoko was the younger sister to the Sun Guardian. "I only want to keep them under lock and key."

"Lock… and key?" Kyoko asked, her eyes glazed over.

"Yes…" Felicia hissed. "And I can give you the key." She said in a tempting tone. "And you will be the only one who can get in to see Sawada Tsunayoshi."

The… only one?

"Now…" She said, a malicious grin painting her features. "Smile pretty for the camera."

* * *

Xanxus watched as Tsuna paced the length of the office in long, angry strides. He looked at Reborn with a raised eyebrow and he mouthed ' _later_ ' in reply. For Tsunayoshi to be this angry… Xanxus resisted the urge to shudder. His flames were practically vibrating underneath his skin as a result to the killer intent radiating off of the small brunette. It had started with a package addressed to him directly. Tsuna had opened it with a concentrated frown after he and Verde had gotten back from their meeting with Vendicare… and then he issued an order for an emergency summons.

And that's how they ended up here.

It was enough to keep him quiet.

Unfortunately, it seemed as though Bel did not get the memo. "So why the emergency summons?" He asked.

Tsuna's head jerked up and he glared at the blonde who didn't even bat a lash underneath his long bangs. He cleared his throat, seeming to realize now that everyone that needed to be there was in attendance. "This has turned into a hostage situation." The reaction was rather impassive.

"Who is it?" Hayato asked.

Tsuna tensed. "He has Kyoko."

The reaction was so much more powerful than Xanxus was expecting. Haru and Hibari let out a pair of identical snarls that resembled a cougar's roar, Takeshi and Hayato both went ramrod straight in their chairs, Ryohei stopped fidgeting and Reborn…

Reborn looked murderous in an impassive sort of way. It was enough to give anyone whiplash.

"Leave her." Hibari sneered.

"No." Tsuna said firmly. "Whether you like it or not she's family— _not_ Famiglia… and I will not abandon either." The cloud and sky seemed to have an intense battle of wills for what seemed like hours before Hibari lowered his gaze in submission. "Right. We've already got a location—I've narrowed them down to three warehouses. All three of them are individually owned by local fishermen and only one of them is on the canals. We'll be flying there as that is the shortest travel time. As Reborn had the foresight to do so, we've already been cleared for travel."

"Do you want all of us there?" Squalo asked.

"I'll leave that up to you but if you are going, meet me out on the platform in five."

* * *

The flight was tense—too tense, in fact. "Tsuna… how do _you_ feel about this?" Takeshi finally asked.

Tsuna stopped pacing. "About what, Takeshi?" He asked softly. "About the fact that the person who had me bagged, gagged and dragged to Russia has a hostage? Well…. I'd say I'm feeling pretty damn peachy." He said tightly. Takeshi flinched but didn't back down.

"Not about that." Takeshi shook his head. "I mean how do you feel about facing her again?"

That made Tsuna stop. "I don't know." He finally said. He sat down in an arm chair. "I don't know much of anything anymore."

"What happened between you two?" Squalo asked.

Tsuna laughed. It was a raucous sound that made everyone on the plane flinch. "You haven't told them anything?" He looked at Hayato.

"It's not our place." Hayato said after a moment. They didn't know much about what happened anyways.

"I guess it's time I told the full story, isn't it?" Tsuna said thoughtfully, his eyes glazing slightly. "This starts just before we skipped on to high school. We've just figured out what we're going to do before we go to live a life of lavish and crime." Xanxus smirked. "At this time, we were learning our positions in the Family while Haru had begun her training under Bianchi as an individual assassin. She certainly had the ambition to do so."

"But of course." Haru winked. "It's only fitting that I train my hardest, after all. Especially if I'm going to marry the Vongola Decimo."

Tsuna laughed. "You know, you might have two others that are ahead of you in the game." At that same moment, Xanxus and Reborn shared the same thought. "Keep in mind, we have pretty hectic schedules." Tsuna said, drawing them from their thoughts. "It's been that way since we made the passage from middle to high. With me running the Family part time, training full time and studying nonstop, I've got a full schedule. Well, back then, I was still learning how to juggle it all not to mention I was still dealing with the extra baggage from the whole conflict with Byakuran. For reasons unknown to everyone but me, Kyoko was dragged into the whole Mafia ordeal when my future self thought it was a good idea for her to be put directly in the line of fire. After that, Kyoko… wanted answers… so I told her everything. About the Vongola, the Ring Conflicts, my Guardians, what it means to be a Sky… and she understood. To the best of her ability, she understood…"

"But…" Lussuria urged.

"But it was too dangerous for her to get too involved with me." Tsuna said. "I was still holding onto baggage that was causing me to drown. I needed time to adjust it all. It took a while but I managed to find my bearings again only to have another heap piled on me." Tsuna laughed bitterly. "I almost fell under that one." In the corner of the room, Reborn flinched. Tsuna smiled reassuringly. "I know it wasn't you, Reborn. It was all Iemitsu." Tsuna's smile fell. "I went into a dark place for a while… to the point that I was vengeful towards Iemitsu, the Ninth—even the Vongola. I was ready to completely annihilate it all. Kyoko helped pull me out of it… but then she saw my scars… and for some reason, she seemed to think that Reborn was hurting me. I tried to explain the situation to her when I realized how easily she was manipulating me but she'd hear none of it… so I finally offered to show her. The mission was simple. She would watch as I gave the orders. The minute things turned hanky, I would pull back and leave it to Hayato to finish.

"The mission itself wasn't all that hard—just go in, meet with a spy for a huge corporation on my blacklist and get out. We would plan later because the operations were on a standstill do to budget cuts I timed carefully—easy right?" There were nods and murmurs of agreement. "Too bad that this is the Vongola and nothing is ever that fucking easy." Tsuna sneered viciously. "The spy was a mole. The real spy was dead. Instead of me pulling back though, situations implied that I had to step up and make a mover right at that point. Total annihilation. That's what awaited them—that's what I delivered. Kyoko was being watched after by one of my Yakuza escorts while I worked. Things were fine after that. I continued to play balancing act while she pretended everything was alright… or so I thought. She stopped trying to manipulate me but she refused to break up with me all the same.

"New information came up. One of my Yakuza escorts—the same one that was watching after Kyoko that day—was a mole sent by a blacklisted organization I'd been paying specific attention to due to their connections with a rather personal grudge of mine." Tsuna ran a hand through his hair. "I got a location on his apartment but when I showed up, he was already dead—killed by his own for sleeping with the enemy's girlfriend." Tsuna laughed bitterly.

"You never actually saw her sleeping with him?" Haru asked.

"I walked in while a tape was playing. Whoever killed him left in a hurry—most likely because I was there too soon. In a fit of rage, I shot the TV. Kyoko heard the gunshot and walked in just in time to see her dead lover and soon-to-be-ex lover holding a gun. Needless to say, she connected all the wrong dots. The next couple of weeks were perhaps the hardest but I didn't have time to wallow in self-pity. I had a job to do—a Family to run. I didn't have time for dramatic relationships." ' _I didn't have time for love._ ' It didn't have to be said to be heard. "As far as I was concerned, the Vongola and my Guardians were my only loves."

"So what? You haven't been in a relationship since?" Lussuria asked.

"Up until now." Tsuna inclined his head.

"You're in a relationship now?!" Hayato demanded. "With who?"

Tsuna felt his lips curl into a wicked smirk, "That, dear Hayato, is for me to know and for you to never find out."

No one saw the expressions that painted the two assassins' faces.

* * *

Sawada Iemitsu was, by no means, a kind man. With the blood of thousands of people, a mistress to satisfy the desires his wife couldn't and an illegitimate child on his hands, he had gotten used to being away from home but the fact that his legitimate son was going to have him dismissed as Outside Adviser… it was despicable. Granted, he knew he was by no means a good father and hell, he was probably an even worse husband with all the women he had to seduce in his line of work but that did not mean he wasn't a damn good adviser.

"Master," Oregano called out, walking into the office with a stack of paperwork. "You asked us to keep you updated on the Kokuyo Gang Investigation should any changes arise. I just got a call from Basil—the charges against Rokudo Mukuro have been dropped. He's going to be released into Vongola Custody under Decimo's name."

"What?!" Iemitsu snapped, his eyes widening. "Delay them! Rokudo Mukuro cannot be released! He is a murderer and a traitor!"

"I'm sorry, Master, but the information has already been publicized last night, in fact." Oregano winced when a stapler hit the wall across from her and shattered. Her master's temper was particularly strong. Rage sparked under the surface before his expression became impassive.

"Why am I just hearing about this now, then?" Iemitsu asked.

"Because Basil only just heard about it and Vendice hasn't been answering any inquiries as to why. When we put in one, they replied with something along the lines of ' _it is no fault of Vendicare's that you lack communication from within your own Family._ ' They left before I could ask what they meant."

Iemitsu cursed under his breath. ' _It seems my son and I need to have a nice long father-to-son… talk._'

* * *

"Excuse me, Signore, would you mind showing us your credentials?" One of the security guards stopped Reborn just as he was going to pass through the security scanner. Tsuna stopped and looked back—he and Reborn were usually the first ones through security. Reborn's lip twitched almost imperceptivity into a sneer.

"I have them." Tsuna said, reaching into his suit pocket to pull out the Vongola badge when his Intuition flared. Bypassing the insignia, Tsuna reached for the small Berretta in his coat pocket and took special care to aim it at the guy's forbidden zone. His voice took on an eerie twinge of annoyance as he spoke and he lathered in the feeling of this guy's fear. "Tell my father that he can take whatever message he has and shove it up his ass." He hissed in Japanese. "I'm not some disobedient child that needs to be scolded because he believes my Mist is a criminal. I've had enough of his interference. My decision is final."

He felt the man tense and relished in the sensation of his pupils dilating in fear. "R-Right… p-please go on through." He stuttered, allowing them passage. Tsuna's lip curled with disgust before he whipped past him.

"What was that about?" Xanxus asked quietly, matching his strides.

"My fucking father," Tsuna replied quietly, his stance confident and angry. No one dared to ask any further questions.

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	15. Chapter 15

**_Updated 12/7/13!_ **

* * *

Tsuna didn't like the base in Venice as much as he did the Main Headquarters in Sicily but that didn't mean he didn't enjoy it. It was smaller and not as protected because it couldn't hold as many men. There were no beautiful gardens but it did overlook the Grand Canal which was a sight to behold at night.

Too bad no one was relishing in the sights.

As it stood, everyone was gearing up for a raid. Tsuna pulled on his headphones and adjusted them so that they wouldn't fall off when he maneuvered in the air because _fuck_ if there wasn't going to be a fight. With a short burst of flame, he felt the soft material of his mittens transform into the leathery-type gloves he had grown so fond of.

Reaching into the bag, Tsuna pulled out the tablet that had been in the package and turned it on. There was no change. Kyoko was still unconscious and there was no one else on the screen. If it wasn't for the fact that he could see her chest rising and falling, he would have thought that it was a picture instead of a live stream video. He checked the battery life and cursed. It would die soon.

Tsuna connected it to the laptop and had begun typing, well aware of the eyes that were on him as he did so. The trace seemed to drag on for hours until it pinpointed a location in downtown Venice by the docs—a fishing warehouse.

There had to be more to this because this was too easy…

Tsuna opened a new window—an access window so he could log in to the remote control programming that controlled the Vongola Satellite. He wanted to do a radar scan of the area and the technology would work well enough. It was a recent launch and what better time to test it than when he needed it most?

"Whoa." Tsuna's eyebrows shot up. "Hey, Reborn. Come take a look at this."

"What is it?" Reborn asked, looking at the screen. He whistled. "She's cookin' up something if there is that much of an Electromagnetic Field."

Xanxus looked over his shoulder. "A known weakness of all forms of Synesthesia… she's done her research."

"Damn." Tsuna cursed. He was relying on that. He dug through his bag for the saline solution he used for his contacts and dropped some in his eyes. He could use the area scan mechanism Spanner had built into his contacts but it wasn't as good as his more natural abilities. This was going to be troublesome.

This woman was good but Tsuna had the feeling that she had something more up her sleeve—an army of some sort? He didn't know… but whatever it was, it was making his hair stand on end and from what he could tell, his edginess was rubbing off on the other Guardians.

But then again, in this line of work, there was no such thing as being _too_ careful, now was there?

* * *

Whatever she was doing inside was making his insides churn. The downside to having a strong Dying Will Flame with the "harmony" element was that they were hyper sensitive to EMF (or Electromagnetic-Fields) readings above a certain level. It made his skin itch.

Across from him, Hayato nodded—he'd felt it too.

Tsuna leaned forward and pressed an ignited flame to the lock that melted instantaneously upon touching it. He looked back at Xanxus and Reborn who both had guns raised behind him. Above them, on the roofs, Takeshi and Hibari both nodded—all ready on top. Raising one hand, Tsuna pressed the short-tone generator.

The first beep resounded and Tsuna could hear the various weapons settling into place.

Not even a half a second after the third beep resounded, the sound of glass breaking made Tsuna kick open the door. "Clear!" Hayato called out from the other side of the warehouse.

"Clear," Squalo echoed.

"Clear." Reborn finalized. Tsuna cursed under his breath.

"Scan the place. This field has to be coming from somewhere nearby." Tsuna frowned. The magnetic field negated his Synesthesia and, judging from the irritation painting Xanxus' eyes a darker crimson, the same went for him as well. "Operation Area Scan," Tsuna commanded.

" _Roger that, boss. Scanning the designated area. Searching…_ " Tsuna let his eyes drift over everything, letting the contacts do the work for him as after he struck up a deal with Verde, they had been upgraded to do various other tasks as well as being directly tuned to his Vongola Intuition as well with the help of Mukuro's mist flames which would fuel themselves off of Tsuna's energy. " _Electromagnetic increase two meters to the left, ten meters down._ " ' _Down?_ ' Tsuna thought. Following the highlighted path, Tsuna knelt down and ran his fingers over the concrete. There was a hidden compartment underneath.

Tsuna pulled out a thin hunter's knife and ran it along the hair-thin lines his contacts pointed out. A black chain lifted from where he ran his knife and the brunette pulled on it. "Hayato." The name was laced with a command. The Storm was at his side immediately, gun raised and muscles coiled. Tsuna looked up at Xanxus and Reborn who both nodded.

Violent purple Flames erupted from the place sending a shockwave through the warehouse. The glass in the windows shattered and the smaller Elements were sent flying back only to collide with the walls. Bel, Hayato, Chrome and Viper all grunted on impact.

Tsuna cursed under his breath again. "It's a trap!" He hissed, leaping back in time to dodge another onslaught of flames.

"That's right, little Vongola." A _very_ familiar voice said in a sickly seductive tone. "Remember me?"

"No…" Takeshi whispered. "It's impossible!" Because it was—because she was supposed to be dead… but she wasn't. In fact, she was standing right in front of them very much alive.

Iris Hepburn leered down at the group. "The Vongola is going to pay!"

* * *

High pitched and insane—that was the only way to describe Iris' voice. She looked nothing like the woman Tsuna fought all those years ago in an alternate timeline. Her hair was disheveled, even balding in places. There were marks all over her arms and legs that resembled needle pricks that hadn't healed and her clothes were tattered beyond repair.

No. This woman, while the same one that he fought, was not the same. She was demented. She was deranged. She was… was…

…not even human anymore.

On her back were fleshy wings that resembled bat wings with oozing blistered burns all over them, most likely caused by the violent flames that seem to ooze out of her pours. Her hands had been enlarged to resemble claws. They had some sort of plasma-energy surrounding them and Tsuna knew—one cut from those and they were done for.

"My, my," She said, her eyes wide and smile deranged. "You have grown to be quite the man, haven't you?" Her pupils contracted unevenly. Tsuna reared back in disgust. While she hadn't been particularly appealing before, right now she was just hideous… and dangerous.

"Iris!" Tsuna hissed. "Answer me. Why are you working for Felicia Calidori?"

"Hm?" Iris' smile faltered. "Felicia? Hah! Hahaha!" She descended into hysterical laughter. "Felicia, Felicia!" She crowed. "Haha!" She laughed again. "That woman took us all. She took us from our cells. She trapped us in a tube. She put things inside of us."

Us? ' _What does she mean… us?_ ' Tsuna thought.

"She turned us into the monsters we are today!" She shrieked as she lunged at Tsuna who dove into a role to dodge. He ignited his Will and glared up at her but the talking was done. There were more explosions from down below and different colors erupted.

Red, indigo and blue.

Glo Xinia, Genkishi and Rasiel—all part of what had previously been called the Fake Funeral Wreaths…

Just what the hell was going on?

* * *

Chaos was the only thing that could describe what was going on. Knives clanged and clattered in mid air, swords clashed and sparks flew, adrenalin numbed their senses as they lashed out against old enemies with one question running through all of their minds.

_How the hell were these people alive?_

After Tsuna had gotten back from the future, he had issued all sorts of orders for the people negatively involved to be executed before he confronted Byakuran and offered him a choice—clean up and form an Alliance or be executed on the spot, Trinisette be damned. Byakuran had accepted and had even pointed out some of the people that Tsuna had missed…

But the people that Tsuna had seen executed personally were now fighting back against them with strength that was inhuman. Rasiel had no outward changes but he was too fast, too lethal. Bel was having trouble keeping up even with Lussuria and Mammon's help. Genkishi was pushing Squalo and Takeshi back with little trouble, covered in the power that his more unstable abilities offered and Iris…

Iris had ripped through Tsuna's shoulder almost effortlessly, a bit of the Flame-induced claw ripping off inside of the tender flesh to prevent the blood from clotting. He was losing blood and he was losing it fast. The Cloud Flames acted as some sort of blood thinner and nerve stimulation all at once so what would have been a gushing painful wound was a gushing painful wound and _more_.

Jerking his shoulder back into place, Tsuna took a breath. He only had one shot at this and he had to make it count. His Will flared in warning and those who could sense it—his allies—were aware of his plan. "Nuts!" Tsuna called out, "Modo Attacco!" He hissed.

And as Nuts reformed, Tsuna's flame flickered. The gauntlet was formed and he cut off the Flame supply that was keeping him airborne. He created a crater when he landed, his negative Flame colliding with the ground. Jagged Zero Point Breakthrough ice crystals formed on the field. The Varia and Tsuna's Guardians jumped in time to dodge but Iris and Genkishi hadn't been so lucky. Whatever had been done to them had slowed down their instincts. They had been impaled by the sharp ice crystals.

Xanxus landed on one of the flatter ones and whistled. "Nice." He commented.

"I am so glad you didn't know how to do that during the Ring Conflicts…" Levi stated looking very green.

"Shesheshe. Do you think a few new tricks can save you from me?"

"Don't you insult my _King_!" Bel shrieked, launching himself forward and sending his knives towards his twin.

"Shesheshe. I _am_ the King!" Rasiel screeched, swiping a hand and causing a gust of wind to force the knives to fall harmlessly to the ice-encrusted ground. He was too fast for Bel to dodge but Squalo was too fast for Rasiel to comprehend. All it took was one _Attacco di Squalo_ and the older of the two knew no more.

But it hadn't been over yet.

There was slow, condescending clapping that cut through the silence after it was all said and done. "Well done, well done! Encore, encore!" Tsuna felt his aura, Will and Flame all flare at once. Felicia smirked at him.

"Where is she?"

"You went pretty far for an ex-girlfriend." She mused, tracing a hand over the ice. Tsuna's eyes narrowed. "Oh, come now. You didn't think I was unprepared, did you? I wanted to give you a welcome befitting enough for Vongola Decimo. I have to say, though, animating their bodies after their souls had abandoned them was hard but I managed well enough, right? Their personalities were a bit tricky though."

"So they were dead." Tsuna stated.

"Yes, in a matter of speaking. I guess you could say I… brought them back to live."

"Impossible." Viper stated. "That's Necromancy."

"Oh, no, no, no, dear. Just a matter of human experimentation, that's all."

Tsuna felt bile rise in his throat. This woman was sick! "I won't ask again." Tsuna stated, his Will pressing down on hers. He could feel it protest against him but she showed no outward signs of discomfort. "Tell me where she is."

"Sleeping soundly in the next block over. Don't worry. I haven't touched her beyond slapping her around a bit. If you ask me, she deserves it… sleeping with the enemy when in fact she was dating the one person who could have given her the world. I would have done better." Felicia shrugged.

There was no frost. She was telling the truth. "What is your gain?" Xanxus demanded.

"Gain?" She asked curiously. "Nothing, really."

"Nothing." Reborn repeated. "If so then why?"

"Curiosity, boredom…" She glared up at Xanxus. "Revenge."

"Federico did nothing to you." Xanxus growled.

"But that's where you're wrong, little wolf." The only indication that he was annoyed was the shudder that rolled under his skin at the nickname. "He had been there that night. He knew what was going to happen and he didn't stop it. Those Russian bastards took everything from me! My virtue, my solace, my sense of self, my sanity…! I wanted them dead and I wanted you dead for interfering! You took my revenge, you Vongola scum, and now you're going to pay for it!" She shrieked, her hand rising to reveal something slender and white.

A dead man's switch...

This place was wired with explosives and she had just taken her finger off of the remote.

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	16. Chapter 16

**_Updated 12/7/13!_ **

* * *

Something was being forced down his throat.

Tsuna tried to open his mouth to scream but the thing refused to recede, forcing a mass of… _substance_ … into his body. The formless presence slid down his throat and gathered inside of him, filling him up and yet no matter how much he clawed at his throat, his chest, his face, it wouldn't leave him alone, let him _breathe_. The pain was far too great to focus on any one thing.

Something grabbed his arms to force them to the side and he jerked, yanking the appendages away.

The thing that was forced down his throat pulled back and a strangled cry tore from his throats. Without thinking what he was doing, Tsuna's bandaged hands— _bandaged? Why were they bandaged?_ —clumsily went directly for the IV needles in his arms.

Before anyone could stop him, he'd roughly jerked them out of his arm causing droplets of blood to trail after the silver metal. The crimson liquid ran down his arms and someone grabbed his wrist this time to stop the bleeding, gripping them tightly and holding them up—a halting, shuddering breath follows a sharp command to breathe—straps chafed against his wrists—something wedges itself between his teeth—

And then all he knows is pain.

Every little jerk hurt. Every little move felt like his arm was being wrenched out of the socket. He clenched his teeth together to muffle his pained cries and screams. His jaw flexed and his eyes watered at the nauseating pain. The sickening taste of copper and burning flesh entered his mouth, making it impossible to breathe so he held his breath, fingers clutching onto the nearest thing available. His grip was harsh and he heard the person he was gripping so tightly hiss in pain but it was drowned out by his screams.

The pain subsided and Tsuna felt sick. He choked cry evicted from his throat against his will. He just wanted the pain to be over. It hurt, so much. "Kill me… just end it, please… just kill me…" Tsuna begged, pleaded. His eyes were wide, tears falling freely but never focusing on one thing. All he could focus on was the red, the pain and the burning bright light above his head. The grabbers dug into his flesh again and this time, he opened his mouth to scream but something was crammed in-between his teeth, not letting him muffle the sobs, the whimpers, of pain. A hand clamped over his mouth, keeping the cloth from being discarded.

Red, black and white was all he could see through his haze. The pain, it was so much. The grabbers stretched and moved around in the wound causing more blood to pour out.

It seemed like hours before the pain subsided and he was embraced by darkness.

* * *

"Where's Tsu-kun?" Kyoko asked immediately when Ryohei walked in with Hayato on his tail.

Ryohei's eyes darkened, "Suffering the consequence of mass depletion, I'd imagine." He said darkly. Kyoko winced. "Hey, Haru. Do you mind civilian sitting?"

"Why do I have to do it?" Haru demanded. "Lussuria has more patience than I do." Kyoko tried to mask how much those words stung. There had been a time when Haru would have loved to hang out with her… how far had they fallen? "Besides, Verde has a meeting with one of his clients this afternoon and I'm supposed to accompany him to make sure his deals aren't with any enemies."

"Yeah, that's this afternoon. This is now." Ryohei stated.

Haru ticked, giving Kyoko a cursory glance. "Fine." She hissed. Kyoko looked down at her hands. She wanted to say that she would be fine on her own but knew that they wouldn't hear of it. She was a liability and she knew it.

"I don't want to fight." She said quietly when Haru's lip pulled back into a snarl.

"No. You just want him back." Haru stated. "You think I don't notice the longing glances you give him when you just so _happen_ to catch a glance at him?" She asked with a scoff. "Please…"

Kyoko shrunk back into herself before she shoved Haru back. "You're a spiteful bitch, Haru. I remember a time when you used to throw yourself at him just because of his standing within the Vongola."

Haru laughed, a high pitched and raucous sound. "It had nothing to do with the fact that he was Vongola but everything to do with the fact that I owe him my life and believe me when I say that my feelings for Tsuna weren't the same as yours."

Kyoko glared up at her, hurt shining in her toffee eyes. "No. You were just willing to spread your legs and be his _child barer_."

"Damn right I was." Haru hissed. "I was willing to be whatever he wanted me to be but you… _you!_ You lied to him and you cheated on him. I would have never done such a thing." Her coffee brown eyes narrowed into slits. "And at least I stopped being a liability."

Kyoko reared back as though she had been slapped. Perhaps she should have been… it would have hurt far less than the sheer truth of her words. Desperately, almost as though she was hoping that redemption wasn't totally lost in their eyes, she sought out the other Guardians' eyes… only to find them all averted… save for Chrome's.

She felt a spark of hope.

"Sorry, Sasagawa-san." Chrome said quietly. "But there is only room for one deceiver in my Sky's life."

* * *

"You're not taking any of it off and that's final." Reborn said with finalized indifference. Tsuna raked his good-but-also-injured-hand through his hair and screamed much like a child would.

" _You_ are insufferable!" He snarled.

It had only been three hours since his release and already, Reborn was putting him under limits. Sure, they still had things to do before they left at the end of the week—as it was a Monday afternoon when he was released from the hospital wing with little to no memory of the pain that transpired (which he silently thanked Shamal for)—but that didn't mean Reborn had the right to treat him like a little kid!

"And you have nerve damage." Tsuna winced. It wasn't that bad. It wasn't like he flat-lined or anything. "It's going to take physical therapy to heal what Lussuria's flames and Shamal's expertise did not." Reborn raised an eyebrow as though daring him to question his authority.

"I have full mobility in my arm, Reborn." That was a slight exaggeration because his muscles strained when he raised it above a forty-five degree angle but it wasn't like he was going to be doing anything else! He'd already fulfilled his quota for the summer… and it was his left hand! He was right dominate, thank you very much.

But that was without nerve damage.

The second-bordering-third degree burns in his hands had been the backlash of creating a barrier that shielded his Guardians and the Varia from the blast of the explosion. He had tapped into the power of the Vongola Rings to do it, something he didn't usually do because he couldn't control it nine times out of ten as he lacked the training to do so, but the Flames were twice as intense as his crystallized Flames had been when he first used them only instead of causing him to propel backwards and collide with the nearest hard surface that was opposite his position, it caused burns. The burns on top of the nerve stimulant in the Flame coated claws that Iris had wielded…

Yeah. Tsuna could see Reborn's point. That didn't mean he was going to agree with him though.

"You're being childish." Reborn smirked. "But feel free to continue. I'm sure the Varia's getting a good show out of it." Those that were in the room at least. Levi had vanished the moment they returned to the main HQ according to Squalo and who knew where Hibari went. Ken and Chikusa were lounging lazily behind Chrome and Mammon sat on Bel's lap. Hayato and Takeshi were sitting in the window seat with Hayato leaning against the swordsman's chest while Ryohei and Kyoko sat next to each other by the coffee table in the corner of the office.

Tsuna sighed as he drummed his fingers against the final report, his business mode returning full force, "Model college student turned sadistic bitch because of a rape case—have I ever mentioned how much I hate the Mafia?" Tsuna asked rhetorically. "I suppose there is a slightly twisted bright side to this whole ordeal."

"Oh? What's that?" Squalo asked.

"Two Russian Families on my blacklist were taken down."

There were various snorts throughout the room. Reborn rolled his eyes and Xanxus felt his lips twitch. "You're a bit of an optimist, aren't you?"

"I have to be." Tsuna said in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone. "It's the only way I—a civilian—can stay sane enough to live in this chaotic world. You try." Xanxus sneered wordlessly and Tsuna laughed. "I'll give you an example. I'm back in Sicily in one piece and three open investigations have been closed. That is a pretty damn good situation if I do say so myself." Tsuna winked when Xanxus rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Well… there is _one_ thing that will make this vacation even better than it already is."

"Like Rokudo Mukuro's release date?" Visconti asked casually from the doorway. A small smirk flittered over his lips when Tsuna's eyes lit up. "It's already been confirmed and scheduled for tonight. Now… I don't need to tell you that the higher echelon is concerned about having someone that was locked up in Vendicare for three years…"

"I outrank their sorry asses." Tsuna hissed. "Mukuro is one of my Mists and I will not have the Echelon coming in and telling me how to run my Vongola because last time I checked, they served me. Not the other way around."

"Temper, temper," Bouche said as he sauntered into the room with disdain.

"They really need to learn their place." Tsuna said flatly. "They are _advisers_ , not Guardians. The only opinions I have the opinions I am obligated to hear—and enjoy, mind you—are standing in this room."

"What about Iemitsu?" Ganauche asked.

"He can't be faithful to his own wife. If he can't be loyal to the woman he married, how can I trust him to be loyal to the Family he so-claims to love and trust?" Tsuna asked.

"You'll need to find a replacement." Timoteo warned.

"After the Coronation, it's decided that Iemitsu will step down and someone of my choosing will take his place. Both of them will have a place in the Advisor Council after that. As will Xanxus and Squalo." Tsuna said. He saw the two of them stiffen slightly from the corner of his eye.

"Don't we get a say in this?" Squalo asked with an amused smirk.

"Nope!" Tsuna beamed.

Xanxus snorted, "We're chained hostages." ' _In more ways than one._ '

"I can add the chains if you'd like." Tsuna offered. "I like chains." He added, almost as an afterthought.

"Timoteo liked them too." Brow Nie said absently.

"Ugh!" Xanxus groaned, his hands colliding with his head. "I do not want to hear this! Those images are going to be implanted in my mind for the rest of my life now, no thanks to you!" The Ninth Generation snickered at Xanxus' misfortune.

Tsuna laughed, his eyes glittering brightly. "What was this about Mukuro's release?" He asked, the smile still curving his lips.

"It's been finalized and scheduled. They're just waiting for the okay from you." Visconti said.

"Well then. Let's not keep our dear friends waiting. Lussuria, prep a room and make it sterile. Call Shamal. I want him here to treat him. Ken, Chikusa, you will assist since you know him best. Hayato, Takeshi, Xanxus, Squalo, you'll be coming with me."

Kyoko watched as Tsuna poured out orders as though it was second nature to him and how everyone rushed to please him. It was strange how much time could change a person—especially a person like Tsuna. He went from being a pathetic, scrawny little kid with no future ahead of him to being top of the world in only a couple of years. People killed for opportunities like this but Tsuna got it all handed to him on a silver platter.

She knew that wealth like this came at a price but despite it, she could tell that the price didn't burden him as much as it had in the past. Not for the first time since their split, Kyoko asked herself… ' _Just what have I given up?_ '

When everyone was gone, Tsuna looked up at Reborn. "I promise to be a good boy and wear the sling afterwards if you let me take it off until I have my Mist here safely." Tsuna said in that placating tone he usually took with his more rowdy Guardians. Kyoko felt a giggle escape her. Tsuna didn't look at her but it was clear that he found her amusement at Reborn's expense amusing.

Reborn rolled his eyes. "You're doubling up on therapy and you _will_ take the medication."

"Yes, yes," Tsuna said in the most patient ' _I'm-doing-this-to-humor-you_ ' tone and again, shared a smug look with Kyoko who giggled again.

Xanxus watched the display with growing ire. It was like they were sharing a private joke that only they knew and it grated against his skin—how could he forgive her after all that she'd done to him? Feeling the familiar temper burning at the base of his stomach, Xanxus turned his glare to the window as though it had personally offended him.

"Ara?" Tsuna simpered. "Why is Xanxus being a sour puss?" Tsuna asked. "Something's got your nuts in a twist." He teased. The glint in his eyes told Xanxus that Tsunayoshi knew just what it was and he was milking it all up.

"Tch. As if you don't know." Xanxus sneered though it lacked heat. Why couldn't he take his frustration out on the mini-boss? ' _Oh right. Because he trapped me in his fucking web._ '

"Mm, I do know but I'd like it if you said it out loud."

"Fuck off," Xanxus growled forcing away the very prominent urge to blush like a lovesick fool. ' _Who knows? Maybe I am one… if an assassin like me is capable of feeling such a thing._ '

"As you wish." Tsuna smiled before he turned all business. "Kyoko, Ryo's going to take you sightseeing for a few hours."

"E-Eh? Wh-what about you?" Kyoko asked.

"I have some things that need to be taken care of before our flight on Friday." Tsuna said, flicking a long strand of his hair back before he unclasped his sling. Reborn took it and tucked it into his jacket pocket after folding it neatly with a pointed look at Tsuna.

"Wait… flight?" Xanxus asked.

"Yeah…" Tsuna turned back to him. "Graduation is next week and then college entrance exams are two weeks after that." Tsuna blinked and shifted a bit. "After that, I'm going to spend some time organizing things for a permanent branch in Japan before I leave for Tokyo University's Fall Term." A startling revelation made him almost visibly take a step back. "We'll talk later. Right now, I have a Mist Guardian to free."

* * *

Vendicare was disgusting. As they led them down to the chambers where Mukuro was being held, Tsuna could feel his negative emotions boiling underneath his skin. Ken, Chikusa and Mukuro had been exposed to this? And he hadn't protected them?

And Reborn had allowed this?

Despicable.

Tsuna's lips curled into a silent snarl as all of his teeth bared. The iridescent green liquid made his gut churn almost nauseatingly. It made Mukuro's pale skin look sickly. ' _Well… you'll get to see that sight soon enough as well._ ' He thought snidely as he caught the Mist in his arms. It was a well known fact that once someone was released from Vendicare—if they were even released at all—they had poor immune systems. Mukuro would get very sick before he would get better. Thankfully, Sun Flames could make the illnesses pass quicker and Verde had already created immunizations in the form of a tablet. They had taken a month long recovery period and had shortened it into only a few days… if Mukuro cooperated, that was.

Tsuna tried to ignore the way his nerves cried out with protest and instead focused on the fact that Mukuro would soon be home safe when he pulled him into his arms.

Mukuro was so cold in contrast to Tsuna's almost sweltering heat. He trembled against Tsuna's chest as he took in ragged breaths of true air and not the stuff that was artificially generated. Weakly, almost as if he were a newborn, he looked up at Tsuna and stroked his cheek. "Y-you… actually came."

Tsuna took a breath to steady himself—it would do no good to start a war with the Vendice, he had to remind himself. Stepping into his Resolve, Tsuna pressed a flame-ignited palm against Mukuro's solar-plexus and allowed it to engulf the both of them. "Yes. And I'm never leaving you again." ' _And I won't let you leave me either._ '

* * *

Chrome paced outside of the door her boss, Reborn, Hayato, Xanxus, the Ninth, Shamal and Lussuria had vanished into only moments previously—though it seemed like hours to her, Ken and Chikusa. When they had come back, Mukuro, who had been leaning on Tsuna as he walked on weak legs, hadn't had the energy to even greet them before he collapsed. Tsuna had caught him and, feeling particularly possessive, almost lashed out against Reborn when he tried to assist. The only person who had been allowed to touch Mukuro was Xanxus.

Not even Ken and Chikusa had been allowed near.

She knew what this meant. A book she had read a long, long time ago while she had been known as Nagi had surmised it quite well. As she watched the door, she found herself quoting the line word-for-word. "When two skies meet, though at first it may seem impossible, slowly they will merge and soon they become one." She murmured.

"Hm?" Ken grunted, looking back at her.

Reaching for that connection, Chrome allowed herself to fall into conversation with the teen that was lying prone in the other room. ' _What are your thoughts on the matter, Mukuro-sama?_ ' She asked. She could feel him rummaging through her observations and how the quote applied. His amusement was palpable as he considered how to reply.

" _My dear Chrome. If the young Vongola feels the need to sleep with the enemy, we shall not question it… however… there is more than one that desires him._ "

Chrome thought about it for a moment. ' _The Sun Arcobaleno?_ '

" _Him too, I suppose but I was referring to that girl… she needs to be kept at bay or she will manipulate the situation to suit her needs. We do not need to see Tsunayoshi hurt again now do we? It is as you, yourself, said. There is only room for one deceiver in our Tsunayoshi's life._ " Because in all technicalities, the two of them were considered one.

' _Sun's sister will not be a problem._ ' Chrome thought with firm conviction.

" _No… she will not._ " Mukuro agreed.

And then their connection faded and Chrome left him to rest.

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	17. Chapter 17

**_Updated 12/7/13!_ **

* * *

It wasn't every day that Hibari got to see his prey lying vulnerable and weak before him and he intended to savor this for everything it was worth. The Storm and Rain herbivores tried to stop him but were quickly disabled and neither the omnivore or the carnivore not-infant were around to stop him from biting Rokudo Mukuro to death.

With a raised tonfa, Hibari Kyoya _lunged_ —

…only for the prone figure that was lying in bed to fade. "Oya? It seems that Vongola Intuition of yours was right after all, Sawada Tsunayoshi." Mukuro purred from behind them. "Kufufu…"

Tsuna sighed and shook his head. "I have been too lenient with you, _Kyoya_." A flash of rage rolled through him— _how dare the omnivore call him in such a familiar way!_ —before he lunged once again. Tsunayoshi vanished and appeared behind him. "It seems a punishment is in order." Something hot overwhelmed Hibari's senses before all went black.

Tsuna caught him as he collapsed. Amber eyes looked up at Mukuro. "Lussuria says that you are recovered enough and that some exercise will do you some good. I will set up the necessary arrangements before the day is over."

"So formal…" Mukuro murmured mock-mournfully. "But as you wish… I will play your game for now."

Tsuna smirked. "Yes… you will… but don't worry. I will make sure things remain… entertaining for quite some time to come."

Mukuro matched his smirk. "I don't doubt that, my beloved Sky."

* * *

Mukuro froze in the doorway at the erotic sight that awaited him. When Tsunayoshi had said _entertaining_ , he didn't think that Tsuna's mind would come up with _this_ kind of entertainment… perhaps he had underestimated just how much time could change a person? ' _Well… you won't hear me complaining about it._ ' He thought. True to his word, Tsuna had appeared to fetch Mukuro exactly thirty minutes after he had disappeared with the skylark.

The prefect in question had his arms chained above his head and his head lolled forward. He was forced into a kneeling position on a bed in the middle of the small room and two tables resided behind and in front of him. On top of the table were various things used for what Mukuro could identify as bringing pain—erotic pain that is. "Milk this for all it's worth because if I know Kyoya, he's going to kill us both." Tsuna said, mouth twitching into a grin.

"What is this, Tsunayoshi?" Mukuro asked, eyes narrowing as he plastered on his most realistic smile.

"Erotic foreplay. You've missed out on life and I'm about to introduce you to one of the good things in it." Tsuna said frankly, his grin nothing short of feral as he said this. "Have you ever heard of BDSM?"

"No…" Mukuro lied. If Tsuna caught on, he didn't show it.

"Really?" Tsuna asked, "You've never seen this kind of play before? Mm, let me demonstrate this for you then." Tsuna placed a hand in the middle of Hibari's back and jolted him awake with his flames. Hibari's head jerked upward and he snarled.

"Untie me, Tsunayoshi." He snarled.

"Mm, let me think… no." Tsuna grabbed the whip and flung it forward, it snapping off of Hibari's flesh with a sharp crack.

Hibari let out a startled cry at the sudden blow. He arched at the pain, the tingles it sent going straight to his groin and sending shockwaves of foreign excitement throughout his body.

Once. Twice. Thrice. And the blows continued to come, on his back, shoulders, hips and arms. Each tinge of pain sent an electrical jolt through his body, causing his heart to skip several beats before they finally receded. The welts didn't swell but they did sting and contrast against his pale skin.

Mukuro's breath caught in his throat at the sight.

Hibari's face was flushed and his lips were parted as pained pants escaped his lips but he hadn't made a sound. Mukuro ran his fingers over the marks drawing out a hiss from Hibari. A current of something— _unaltered, uncontrolled, untamable_ ** _lust_** —ran straight through his body.

Tsuna hummed in approval when Mukuro stepped forward and lightly ran his fingers over Hibari's marks. His plan had worked after all. "Kufufu, so it seems you _do_ have a sadistic streak, Tsunayoshi."

"Oh, this isn't just about the pain." Tsuna said, setting the whip down and grabbing something that resembled fur. He brushed it against the stinging welts. The light feathery touch almost tickled but combined with the excessive stinging against the aching marks, Hibari couldn't distinguish the sensations.

Setting the fur down, Tsuna continued. "I highly doubt he's coherent at the moment so I'll explain. Hibari loathes being restrained _emotionally_. Because everyone's afraid of him, he's never been tied down… until he met me. It's the same with you, though, wasn't it? You were restrained, always being tied down, always being hurt… so you gained a sadistic streak. You wanted to see all of the people that hurt you in pain as revenge. Hibari just wanted to feel what it was like to be restrained. So alike and yet so different. The two of you…" Tsuna continued, a smirk toying with his delectable features. "So? Who is the free one and who is the restrained one now?" Tsuna pressed the whip against Mukuro's palm and nudged him forward.

The whip wasn't like his trident. It was flexible and it left a sharp bite. All of those years of being whipped, chained and beaten came back to him, as the whip collided with Hibari's pale flesh, darker marks than the ones Tsuna had created appearing in 'x's overlapping each other.

Mukuro purred as he stepped forward and pushed the prefect back a bit as to split Hibari's legs apart so he could rub the tent that was forming in-between his legs.

"Nngh… hah…" Hibari let out a startled gasp before groaning and biting down on his bottom lip to silence himself.

"Now, now, that's not the way to play, _Kyoya_ ," Tsuna said, running a finger over his worried lip before forcing two fingers into his mouth. Kyoya didn't bite down like Tsuna expected him to. Mukuro's knee moved again and Kyoya couldn't stifle his moan this time. "Good boy," Tsuna crooned, removing his now damp fingers and provocatively licking them. "So sweet… I thought only _virgins_ were this sweet."

Hibari's cheeks darkened.

Mukuro grinned lecherously. "Oya? Does this mean you _are_ a virgin? Kufufu, well then I'm honored." Mukuro's taunting fingers towed with the edge of his pants before they were pulled off, boxers and all, in one fluid movement.

Tsuna stepped forward and ran his fingers over Hibari's chest, stopping only to pinch down on a nipple, before his fingers drifted downwards to his half-hard member, giving it a gentle tug. He wouldn't have to do much—this was something he was leaving up to Mukuro. If the two of them could focus their energy into something that _wouldn't_ destroy the Vongola manor, he would be very happy.

Mukuro grabbed the bottle, knowing exactly what it was and how to use it from the times he wandered into the wrong person's mind, before slicking his fingers and prodding at Kyoya's untouched entrance. Timing his next move in precision with Tsuna's, Mukuro pressed into the Cloud, lathering in the feeling of his body tensing and squeezing the appendage.

"If you don't relax, you're going to tear." Tsuna mouthed against his toned abdomen as he was taking the time to mark him. Even if he wasn't going to participate, that didn't mean he couldn't put in a few bites. Hibari breathed in deeply and he felt his body beginning to relax when Tsuna began pumping his full-length member at a slow pace. Mukuro took that chance to insert another digit and began scissoring his fingers to widen the entrance. When he curled them, he brushed against something deep inside of Hibari and a sharp shudder rolled through his body. Knowing exactly what had happened, Mukuro pressed against it again and the restrained Cloud cried out, eyes widening at the sensation.

Tsuna leaned forward and licked Hibari's shaft. His mouth trailed over his length before he enveloped it completely. The dark haired prefect grunted at the feeling, enjoying the combined sensations of Tsuna's mouth and Mukuro's sinfully experienced—no doubt from invading peoples' minds—fingers that continued to press into him.

Feeling the tell tale signs, Mukuro pulled away from him and Tsuna stopped his movements. Hibari let out something akin to a whine before something blunt and scorching hot pressed against his previously prepared body.

It hurt. A lot. Hibari's body attempted to reject the intrusion but Mukuro refused to retreat. His body throbbed erratically and somewhere, in the back of his mind, he became aware of the sound of the chains being undone and the sudden lack of heat around his groin. He slumped forward, putting his hands out to catch himself, leaving him on his hands and knees.

Mukuro gripped down on his hips and pulled him back at the same time he thrust forward. "Nngh…" Hibari's thighs trembled and his fingers gripped down on the black sheets tightly. Tsuna licked his lips at the vision of his two Guardians fucking each other.

He was getting hard just watching them.

"Nngh… M- _Mukuro_! I'm g-going to… _ah_!" Hibari cried out as his face contorted into a lustfully satiated expression and he jerked and spilled his seed onto the bed below him.

"Hah… m-me t-to… nngh… _Kyoya_!" Mukuro grunted at the feeling of Hibari's muscles tensing around him, pulling him in, as he too reached completion.

Hibari collapsed and Mukuro rolled to the side to keep from crushing him. Tsuna smiled softly at the sight of his Guardians completely spent. In the end, he did little to assist in the end result. Tsuna took the initiative and cleaned up their mess before running his fingers through Hibari's sweat-soaked hair.

"Your plan…" Hibari said exhaustedly. "What… was your plan?"

Tsuna's eyes widened slightly before he leaned down and kissed Hibari's cheek. "Go to sleep, Kyoya. You'll find out when the endorphins retreat from your system."

Not understanding what Tsuna meant—and being too tired to correct the use of his first name—Hibari sighed before snuggling closer to Mukuro on instinct. Strange, the illusionist was so warm… and his heart was beating unevenly, almost as unevenly—no, his heart was completely in sync with his own.

Slowly, he began feeling darkness creep over him, embracing him in content warmth.

* * *

"So…" Takeshi said slowly. "How did it go?" He asked as Tsuna sauntered into the office.

"Wonderfully." Tsuna replied with a beam. "Hibari is going to hate me when he wakes up but~ it's a risk I am willing to take."

"I told you that BDSM was the way to go." Chrome said with a small smile. There was a dark gleam in her visible eye. "Are you going to play matchmaker with them like you did with Hayato and Takeshi?"

"No… Mukuro can manage his emotions on his own." Tsuna smiled. "How was your celebration yesterday?" Hayato and Takeshi both flushed and looked away. Tsuna laughed. "I see… has anyone seen Reborn?"

"He came in late last night and disappeared. He's probably in his suite as we speak." Ryohei said casually, looking up from his biology book. "Kyoko asked me to deliver a message to you—she wants to talk to you. I have a vague idea about what. I told her I'd tell you but not to expect anything…"

"The tailor isn't due for another few hours so I think I'll talk to her now." Tsuna stood up. "After that, if there is still time, I'm going to go talk to Reborn. He's undoubtedly angry with me for keeping something on that level from him. It's only natural after all."

Chrome frowned. "Is that such a wise decision?" She asked. "That girl… she likes to manipulate."

"I know." Tsuna replied. "I know what I'm looking out for this time." Tsuna adjusted his sling with annoyance. "Don't worry, Chrome. She won't hurt me twice." Tsuna brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "When Haru gets back from Verde's, can you let her know Xanxus wants to talk to her?"

Haru, since she had graduated early, had been training under Verde's mentorship as a hacker so her abilities would be well rounded on top of being his handler. The dual mentorship between Verde and Bianchi was hard but it was well worth it in her opinion if it meant that she wouldn't burden Tsuna the way Kyoko had. She still prospered to be Tsuna's wife but not on the same degree as she had before. It wasn't the same near-obsessive behavior. Now, it was more like the same relationship that Bianchi and Reborn had had—they were in love with the thrill, not the man.

It was alright though.

"Will do."

* * *

Kyoko's heart was thudding unevenly in her chest as they walked through the gardens. It was strange how easily they fell back into their old patterns—knowing glances, small bits of laughter and silent communication… it was… sweet. It filled a part of her that she didn't know was missing until she had it and then it was taken away from her. ' _Not taken away… you pushed it away._' Kyoko thought self-discriminatively.

Gathering her resolve, she looked up at Tsuna. "You and your Guardians are… close." She said quietly.

"But of course." Tsuna said in a smooth alto. His voice was still changing and Kyoko knew that it was only a matter of time before it became a silky tenor that would send heat coursing through her body. "I prefer loyalty over fear."

' _But you can inspire both._ ' Kyoko thought. She knew that firsthand. "What happened that day?" She asked. "I… I never asked… and that was wrong of me. I'm sorry… b-but I want to know now." She looked up and met startled amber-brown eyes. Tsuna sighed and rubbed the bridge if his nose with the side of his index finger. ' _Some traits will never change…_ ' Kyoko thought as she watched the movement.

"He was a spy for one of the Families on my blacklist." Tsuna finally said. "He was dead when I got there. The shot you heard was me shooting the TV." Kyoko's heart lurched into her throat and Tsuna laughed bitterly. The sound made her flinch. "I'm not stupid, Kyoko. Not anymore. I haven't been for almost two years." He reached a hand up and brushed a finger over her cheek. "I don't love you like that anymore. There will always be a part of me that cares for you but when I found out about the affair, it was over."

"Ts-Tsu-kun?" Kyoko asked in a small voice. "Wh-what are you saying?" ' _Please tell me that you aren't saying what I think you're saying._ ' She pleaded silently.

"You're a good friend, Kyoko." Tsuna said quietly, his hand falling. "But if I can't expect you to be a loyal girlfriend, how am I supposed to expect you to be loyal to me when I want something… more?"

Kyoko jerked back as though she had been slapped. "What… a-are you… wh-why are you saying these things?"

"I know you called me out here to ask for me to get back with you." Tsuna said firmly. "I know that you still have feelings for me… but I'm afraid I can't return them. Not anymore."

"Wh-why?" Kyoko breathed. "Why are you doing this to me?!" She demanded. "I still love you, Tsuna-kun! Every night I go to bed remembering the days we spent together... are you trying to tell me that they meant nothing to you!?"

"Nothing?" Tsuna asked, startled. "No, Kyoko… you never meant nothing to me… at one point, you meant the _world_ to me… I could have honestly said that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you… but now…" Tsuna reached up and put a hand on her chin and forced their eyes to meet. "Now I don't want you to be a part of my life."

Kyoko gasped, almost falling to her knees. Tears were falling from her eyes as she stared up at him. She sought out his eyes, hoping against hope that what Tsuna was saying… that this _wasn't_ happening. That Tsuna wasn't saying goodbye. "Tsu…kun?" She whispered.

"…this will be the last time we see each other for a very… very long time." He said quietly. "I won't say I'm sorry… because the words are futile. Instead I'll say this…" He leaned down and wrapped his arms around Kyoko's slender frame and buried his face in her neck while his bad arm was pressed between them. "Goodbye… Kyoko." Tsuna whispered before he pulled away. ' _And I'm sorry I ever fell in love with you._ ' Tsuna thought as he gracefully strode away from the gardens leaving his Guardian's sister alone.

Because that's all she was to him anymore.

Family not Famiglia. ' _It's all… for the best._ ' He thought. ' _Now to see if Xanxus is willing to help me with my little… problem._ '

* * *

Tsuna looked at Xanxus, eyes wary but curious. Xanxus had been locked up in here ever since Mukuro had been sedated—drinking, according to Squalo. The scent of liquor was nonexistent… so what was he drinking? The green liquid in the glass answered his question—Absinthe. It was diluted with sugar-water if the tray next to the bottle was any indication. Xanxus muttered something like ' _should have known that shark couldn't follow orders_ ' before turning to look at Tsuna. His eyes widened momentarily before sharpening. "Leave."

"No." Tsuna countered, taking a willful stride towards the assassin.

"Tch, insolent brat." Xanxus looked away from him, returning his gaze to the painting above his bed. It was the streets of Italy on a rainy night. There were yellow blotches that were supposed to represent light form the houses. It was clear that Xanxus used it as a back-drop for his thoughts.

"Stubborn assassin." Xanxus's head inclined towards him but he was smirking despite the tightness of his shoulders. A sudden wash of bravery made Tsuna step forward and wrap his arms around his bare chest—Xanxus must have just stepped out of the shower because his hair was still wet. He could feel the tension release, almost against Xanxus's will.

"Do you know… how hard it is to stay angry at you when you do this?" Xanxus asked, sounding truly strained. Tsuna shifted, knowing that Xanxus didn't truly want to stay angry. He knew that when he was around the usually volatile assassin, he was strained but the strain wasn't in regards to his temper. This was sexual—an insatiable lust that couldn't be tamed by simply one night of sex. Xanxus set the glass down and Tsuna's grip loosened before falling completely.

The gaze Tsuna got wasn't the stubbornness he expected—it looked more like surrender, submission. Tsuna expected the kiss he got to be gentle, wary, confused… but he was wrong. Xanxus's hand was on the back of his neck, forcing Tsuna to keep still. His mouth was not gentle or wary. There was a different sort of emotion—a sense of desperation and conflict that made Tsuna know through some invisible force that this would be a whole hell of a lot more than just a comfort sex session.

Tsuna was pinned against the vanity, feeling Xanxus hovering over him with the same sense of resolve burning through his flesh. Xanxus hadn't stopped kissing Tsuna—it was Tsuna that had to pull away to breath and even then, his lips hadn't moved off of his skin. They pressed against his neck— _his shirt vanished, landing wherever it fell—_ his collar, his shoulder, his chest… bites, nips and licks burned through him, searing his fiery presence into Tsuna's core.

Tsuna didn't want to be the only one feeling pleasure—it left him feeling selfish and insatiate because of his need to _give_ … so his hands trailed over Xanxus's body, mapping out his limbs, the ridges of his toned chest and abdomen. He shuddered and Tsuna's hands drifted lower. His open palm drifted over the tent of Xanxus's sweats, fondling the bulge of his erection. "Sh-shit…" Xanxus groaned, pulling away for a second. "I'll give you until daybreak to stop doing that." Considering the sun had just set not even thirty minutes ago, Tsuna found himself shuddering at the promise that followed the statement.

"Think you can keep up?" Tsuna teased.

"I should be the one asking you that." Xanxus smirked as he pulled off Tsuna's pants and undergarments in one go. Tsuna forced the sweats off of Xanxus's hips before resuming his ministrations. Xanxus's arousal was hot and heavy in his hand as he teased him. "Next time, I'll make it slow and sweet." Xanxus vowed, reaching past Tsuna for something in the drawer.

"Next time," Tsuna agreed, switching their positions on the large throne-like chair and rocking his hips back teasingly over the head of Xanxus's cock. Feeling his self-control strain even further, Xanxus grabbed Tsuna's hips with enough force to bruise and pulled him down at the same time he jerked his hips up. Tsuna's eyes widened as a strangled cry tore from his throat. One hand in the middle of his back and the other on the back of his neck, Xanxus and Tsuna moved with synchronized movements. Their torsos touched, slick with sweat and their hips rocked seeking a form of release that they could only get with one another.

The feeling was right at the knife's point that separated pleasure and pain. It was almost too much for Tsuna to bare. He couldn't take this, the overload of sensations, the brutal passion that was claiming him. This intensity—it would continue all night.

With Reborn out of the estate, Kyoko not expecting his presence until dawn, the Varia out frolicking with those that were up for celebration to Felicia's defeat and the Kokuyo gang playing guard dog with Mukuro, no one was set to see each other until the next morning when the tailor would arrive to make their uniforms out of the Dying Will Flame resistant material. He had all night with Xanxus.

Climax rolled through him without warning, sending him over in hot waves… but it wasn't enough. Tsuna still wanted _more_ of this intensity—Xanxus still had so much of it to give too. As Tsuna bit down to keep from screaming, a thought crossed his and, at the same time, Xanxus' as well. ' _I'm too far past the point of no return to even think about going back to the way things were before… and it's all your fault..._ '

' _But… do I even want to go back?_ ' Tsuna thought.

He wasn't so sure anymore.

"I can't stay, you know." Tsuna said quietly. "I need this time to regain my center. I need to remember where it was I came from. I can't always be Vongola Decimo."

"I know." Xanxus said, his grip tightening. "I just hate the fact that I won't be there—that _we_ won't be there." There was no need to ask who the ' _we_ ' was referring to.

Which reminded him. It would be Reborn's turn to have some alone time with him later.

"I won't form ties like the ones I have with you and Reborn with anyone else." Tsuna vowed, his voice pitched low. "Never with anyone else—not even with Kyoko. She lost me a long time ago."

"And aren't I glad I caught you." Xanxus mused.

"Such sappy sentiments… I never took you for the type." Tsuna curled closer to him, savoring in his warmth.

"Don't get used to it."

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	18. Chapter 18

**_Updated 12/7/13!_ **

* * *

It wasn't until late in the afternoon that he was woken up by a pair of lips tracing down his neck. "Time to wake up, Tsunayoshi. You have an appointment with a tailor today." Xanxus said casually. Tsuna moaned and buried his face in the fluffy pillows.

"Fuck them." Tsuna muttered, curling tighter. He wasn't a morning person.

"If you don't wake up, I could always have Squalo come in here." Xanxus said in a low purr.

Tsuna groaned before he stepped out of the bed. "Right. Shower then late breakfast—" Tsuna looked at the time. "Make that early lunch… and then tailor in the parlor in the west wing." Tsuna sighed. When Tsuna stood up, his legs strained under the pressure, trembling as he made his way to the bathroom. He paused at the door. "You could join me if you like." Tsuna simpered. Xanxus smirked and shook his head but followed him in.

One the door closed, the only sounds that passed through the door was the sound of the water hitting the tile.

* * *

"All done~!" Laurel cheered as she stood up. "You know, I don't see why you need some new uniforms when you're graduating next week." She mused.

"The uniforms can be used outside of school." Tsuna pointed out as he looked over himself and nodded in approval. "I can dye the vests black or something too. The rest of the clothing is for lounging since I hit another growth spurt after Spring Break."

"And I sense a few more to come." She said with a wink. "When you're done growing, you must let me tailor an entire wardrobe for you, Decimo. I've been dying to do that for almost a year and a half now! Oh, and Lussuria can help." She said casually. The Sun in question squealed at the chance.

"When I'm done growing." Tsuna laughed. "But only when I'm done growing. It would be a waste of your talent if I couldn't wear it more than a few times."

"Nonsense." Laurel simpered as she packed up her clothes and Tsuna adjusted his new jacket. The outfit was a red turtle-neck sweater-shirt that was soft against his skin with a black jacket over it. The slacks matched the jacket and he even had a new pair of Italian leather shoes. "I enjoy working for you. Such a sweet disposition—it's hard to come by in the Underground."

"Oh, I know." Tsuna said with a dramatic gossipy tone. "Those other Dons are so stuffy." He shook his head mournfully. "Do give Byakuran my regards. Tell him I said thank you again for sending me such a wonderful tailor."

"But of course." Laurel bowed. "Good evening, Decimo."

Tsuna stepped off of the stool and straightened out his clothes. "Has the infant answered you?" Hibari asked. For someone who had been dominated against his will, he was strangely tame. ' _Maybe he's pleased that he's found a new way to dominate Mukuro._ ' The illusionist snickered slightly as he obviously sensed the line of thought Tsuna had picked up and inclined his head in confirmation. ' _Well… as long as they aren't destroying the manor. Those repair bills will be a bitch and a half in the future._ '

His guardians were all dressed as snappishly as he was, wearing a variation of their usual styles. Even Ken and Chikusa had gotten new clothes. Ken was currently wearing a light pink and grey striped shirt with a pair of sun-faded black jeans while Chikusa was wearing a black leather jacket with a white t-shirt underneath. His pants were also sun-faded jeans of the same color—all of it was hand-tailored by Laurel who was fast and efficient. Byakuran had introduced them the first time after they had formed an alliance and they had been going to her for business ever since.

She seemed to like dressing Tsuna up.

Tsuna's thoughts were cut off when the double doors leading into the parlor were pulled open. Tsuna turned to see the Ninth wheeling in with Iemitsu flanked by Basil and Oregano. His blood immediately heated up upon sighting them.

"Hello, Tsunayoshi." Iemitsu greeted.

"Hello to you too… _otou-san_."

Xanxus and Squalo—as the rest of the Varia was still sleeping off hangovers—watched with morbid fascination as Tsuna stared down his father. His eyes had changed from that honey-brown color to a striking shade of amber the moment he spotted Iemitsu.

Xanxus looked back at Hayato with a questioning look. Hayato winced and mouthed ' _long story_ ' which ultimately meant he would tell him later. "So I've just gotten word from Vendice that you... negotiated... Rokudo Mukuro's release form." Iemitsu said casually.

' _Looks like someone isn't too happy with me right now._ ' Tsuna thought humorlessly. "What's your point, exactly?" Tsuna asked. ' _Because as far as I'm concerned what I do is none of your concern, daddy-dearest._ '

"My point, _son_ , is that you went over my head in doing so. Why was I not informed of this... change in events?" Iemitsu asked, shifting his weight to the opposite leg. Tsuna's eyes narrowed immediately at the movement. "I should have been informed before you went through with it. Care to tell me why I wasn't?"

Anger flashed through Tsuna immediately and he fought to quell the flames that raged beneath the surface. "I wasn't aware that I required your approval, _otou-san_." Tsuna said with a slightly too-sweet tone.

"When it pertains to a previous deal I made with _your_ Mist, it does." Iemitsu stated.

Tsuna blinked and shifted his stance—a defensive stance. It was a habit that he had gotten into when the seals on his Flames and Intuition had been broken. He spoke with his body on top of his words. It made for a stronger point. "Any _deals_ you made with them were canceled the moment I accepted them into my ranks _personally_." Tsuna said smoothly. A growl materialized low in Ken's throat as he fidgeted under the intensity of the air. Tsuna moved at the same time Mukuro did to sooth the animalistic male's nerves. "It's all right, Ken. He won't do anything. The CEDEF has been all talk and no bite since Alaude stepped down almost five hundred years ago." The smirk that stretched his lips and bared his teeth was directed deliberately at Iemitsu. Their eyes clashed in a battle of Wills once again. "While we're on the subject of not informing someone, why wasn't I informed about Sarada Mochizuki?"

"Your channels don't follow protocol _and_ you have known blacklisted associations."

"Bullshit!" Tsuna snapped. "Verde and Shoichi are _not_ blacklisted. You have _no right_ to blacklist one of the Arcobaleno without _my_ approval. Not to mention Shoichi Irie played a key role in Byakuran's defeat in the alternate timeline."

"And you have no right to go through outside channels to instigate a release without my permission!" Iemitsu snarled.

"The hell I don't." Tsuna hissed. "Last time I checked, I outrank you."

"Last time I checked, blood runs thicker than water."

Iemitsu never even saw Tsuna's flame infused punch coming. When he collided sharply with the wall behind him, it made a sickening crunch that signified the sound of his ribs cracking under the pressure of the blow. Tsuna stood over him, his Flame burning brightly. "Arrogant." Tsuna said in an eerily calm voice. "You stand here and _dare_ tell me that blood runs thicker than water… a principle that most honorable Mafiosi follow until death… and yet you don't." Another flash of teeth. "Maybe if you had, you would have been there for most of my life instead of fucking your secretary over the desk every night." Behind him, Oregano gasped as though she had been slapped. Tsuna turned amber eyes onto her for the barest of moments and she flinched at the glare. "You want to know why I didn't tell you about Mukuro's pending release? It's simple, really." Tsuna leaned down and grabbed a fistful of Iemitsu's expensive shirt and slammed him against the wall again. "If you aren't loyal to your wife and son, how can I expect you to be loyal to the Famiglia that your son will be taking over?"

No one moved to intervene—this wasn't their battle, after all. No one even dared to breathe as Tsuna and Iemitsu clashed wills once again.

"After the coronation," Tsuna continued. "You are going to step down as the External Advisor. You are going to cash in your insurance policy and then you are going to _stay_ in Japan never to return to work again, understand?"

"You can't strip me of my rank." Iemitsu hissed.

"That's funny because last time I checked, _I just did_." Tsuna shoved away from him. "Hayato," Tsuna said, not turning to face the Young Lion.

"Yes, boss?" The storm asked in an innocently curious tone.

"Get him out of my sight."

" _Yes, boss._ " He repeated as he ignited his Storm Ring.

"That attitude is _gorgeous_ , mini-boss." Xanxus purred with approval after Iemitsu had _kindly_ been escorted out. Tsuna's Will faded and he straightened out his clothes. The door opened to reveal a hardly disturbed Hayato and a certain Mist Arcobaleno who had decided to grace the world with her presence. She nodded in greeting to the Varia Rain and Xanxus before walking over to stand by Squalo in silence.

"He had it coming." Tsuna flicked a ball of lint off of his new clothes and then shifted his weight.

"Vongola…" Viper began and then she trailed off. "About that thing you asked me earlier when you were looking for Xanxus…" She trailed off.

"Yes?" Tsuna looked up at her, urging her to continue.

"You know that the Arcobaleno are heavily indebted to you, right? For many things…?"

Tsuna blinked at the sudden change in topic. "Euhm… you've lost me."

Viper sighed. "After the curse was broken, we felt… empty. Yes, we fulfilled what it was he wanted done but for the longest time, it ruled our life… after it was broken, we shouldn't have stuck around like we did. You… you filled that gap in our lives." She clarified. "Even Verde, who would have otherwise chose to remain freelance, can't deny that."

Tsuna blinked. He understood that but… "What's the point in all of this?"

"Reborn doesn't feel that sense of duty." Viper stated firmly. Shouldn't that have been obvious?

"Doesn't he though?" Tsuna asked, tilting his head to the side a bit. "I mean… why wouldn't he? I know the reason he showed up in the first place was because of the favor that the Ninth asked of him… but the request only stated until I was named Vongola Decimo—by all technicalities, he could have left after the Ring Conflicts… so why didn't he? I mean, I had the rings so what else was there? If not after the Ring Conflicts then after we got back from the future. He could have left then… but he didn't." Tsuna leaned back a bit and twisted a lock of his long hair around his finger. "Actually, I think it's his sense of duty that drove him to stick around in the first place… 'cause he doesn't do things half way, you know?" Tsuna smiled a bit. "Even now, he won't leave because he knows that I still have a long way to go…"

Viper blinked underneath her hood before she smiled a bit. "I see… you… really understand him, don't you?"

"Eh?"

Viper sighed. "It's nothing. Forget I said anything. She murmured—but it wasn't. It was everything. The last person that understood Reborn on this level was Luce… Tsunayoshi may have kept something from them but unlike Luce, he didn't betray them… no. It was so blaringly obviously the opposite.

He didn't betray them, no matter _what_ that foolish little boy thought.

He _saved_ them.

Viper turned away from Tsunayoshi and looked at Squalo and Xanxus. ' _Yes…_ ' She thought. ' _He saved us… and it's because of that that I will serve him through Xanxus until the day I die._ '

* * *

Tsuna knew Reborn would be in his personal training grounds. The Ninth had had it built for Tsuna after his first trip to the main estate and Tsuna made sure to use it every time he got a chance because it was the only room he could lock down completely without having to worry about people bothering him. It was one of the few places that were peaceful.

Of course, that didn't stop Reborn from invading it with Colonnello and Lal every now and then but that was alright with Tsuna too.

"Hey, Reborn." Tsuna greeted, "Lal, Colonnello," He added.

"Yo, Sawada," Lal greeted.

"So is it true that you and Reborn finally—ouch! The hell was that for, kora?!" Colonnello snarled when Reborn kicked his chair back.

"I don't tell you these things so you can go back and confirm it with other people, twat." Reborn hissed. Tsuna laughed, helping Colonnello up. "You should have left him there." He huffed.

"Jealous?" Tsuna teased.

"Damn straight." Reborn stated. "So I take it you punched Iemitsu in the face."

Tsuna's eyes darkened. "He got what he deserved."

"Who are you going to find as a replacement if you actually intend on going through with your harebrained scheme of knocking him off of his post?" Lal asked.

Ah… straight to the crutch of the situation, eh? Tsuna didn't blame her. Whoever he chose would become her new boss. She probably suspected Basil to be the one he wanted as the External Adviser and, had Basil been truthful with him from the beginning, he probably would have considered him… but the truth of the matter was, Basil hadn't been completely honest with him and had kept the fact that he was actually Tsuna's older _half brother_ from him.

Tsuna couldn't trust someone who hid blood ties… but there was someone he knew he _could_ trust with that position regardless of his secrets.

Copper eyes slid from Lal to Reborn who stiffened, his eyes narrowing as the cogs began to turn. "Reborn…" He said quietly, his stance changing from casual to official. "…will you become the new head of the CEDEF?"

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	19. Chapter 19

**_Updated 12/7/13!_ **

**_IMPORTANT NOTICE TO MY OLDER READERS! I have gone through and completely revised some earlier chapters. I advise going back and recapping simply because it might be a bit difficult to keep up. I thank you for your patience._ **

Now back to my regularly-irregular schedule.

* * *

"… _will you become the new head of the CEDEF?_ "

It had been almost three hours since he heard those words and now, they wouldn't leave his mind. They rang loudly, echoing in the corridors of his mind, awakening every sleeping beast, every demon, every dark desire… everything he had fought to keep caged was now running free. His thoughts were a rampage of emotions that he had made sure to keep under lock and key in the back of his mind but now…

…Tsuna…

Tsuna had unlocked them. All of them.

By asking one small question.

The anger that had boiled in his gut had turned into an all out need. Reborn needed Tsuna. He needed to take him and do… highly unspeakable things to him. He needed to lose control.

It was a daunting task to overturn. Tsuna would, undoubtedly, break.

In the midst of his chaos, Reborn's thoughts revolved around the day the curse had been broken.

"—

_"Are you sure that this will work?" Reborn asked Verde once again. As sick of being in a kiddy-body as he was, he'd rather not die an excruciatingly painful death._

_"As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with Reborn. I'd rather not kill you accidently or anything." Tsuna put in a bit cheekily. It was a new side that Reborn was finding more and more interesting since it was a slightly more dominating side._

_"I am ninety-five percept sure that you will not kill us accidentally." Verde said as he shifted another cord._

_"Only ninety five percent?" Lal asked. "What about the other five percent?"_

_"I'm not… entirely sure how Vongola's flames will react against the curse." Verde allowed. "He is young and by definition, we will be as well. The curse will only be broken half way should this work."_

_"Should this work? Will it or won't it?" Viper demanded._

_"Scientifically speaking, it should but you also must remember that nothing about the Trinisette is scientific." Verde flicked up his glasses again and looped the pacifier off of his neck. He set it in the green chamber and closed the device. "It would be easier if we all got the curse lifted at once instead of separately. There's no need to kill Vongola by draining his life-force repetitively, now is there?"_

_Reborn let out a snarl but obeyed nonetheless. He looped the pacifier off and repeated Verde's actions which was mirrored by all of the Arcobaleno. They all stepped onto the platforms and Verde motioned for Tsuna to stand in the middle. "Put your hands on those two pillars and do what you would normally do for X-Burner—balance both the hard and the soft flames."_

_Tsuna ignited his flames and obeyed. The machines around them whirred to life and not even ten seconds later, a shrill resounding scream tore from Viper's lips. Skull, Lal, Verde and Colonnello soon followed suit, collapsing to their knees as the pain overwhelmed them. Reborn felt horror sinking in his gut before something white-hot and excruciating slammed into him._

_Saying it hurt was an understatement. It felt like his body was being ripped apart. It felt like his bones were breaking through his flesh. He couldn't stop the agonized scream that tore from his own throat and the last thing that he saw before everything went white was Tsuna's pain and panic-stricken expression._

—"

From what Tsuna had said, their flames had formed an orb around them. It hadn't lasted long but the next thing they knew, they were all being shaken awake by a very relieved Tsuna who had collapsed into a very naked Reborn's arms a moment later. Verde had checked over him after they had gotten dressed and found that he had, indeed, exhausted himself by breaking the curse. Reborn had used his flame—no longer as pure as it had once been—to accelerate his body's healing process.

" _This is, by no means, over._ " Verde had said. " _We are still Arcobaleno but we are no longer bound by the pacifier's rules. It is bound by ours now… but be warned. Our lives are still bound to them. The only difference now, though, is that we can hide them and our status as Arcobaleno._"

Just like they had before, they split up with promises to call meetings should anything arise. What was there to do now? They had, by all means, finished their business with one another but having the curse broken had left them… half empty. It was with startling revelation that he found out that Tsuna filled that gap for all of the Arcobaleno.

And for the second time in his entire life did Reborn feel his paradigms shatter the base of his foundation.

* * *

Tsuna wasn't sure what to think. Somewhere between the time he had asked Reborn to overtake the External Adviser position and the time he was going to use to look in on Mukuro and Kyoya, one of the Ninth's messengers had stopped him.

He had a visitor.

Tsuna had complied, walking through the corridors to see a very tense Timoteo and a rather impassive Iemitsu sitting in the same room as a rather familiar slicked back head of blond hair flanked by two other distinctly familiar faces.

"Gamma." Tsuna blinked. "I wasn't aware that I was to have a meeting with the Giglio Nero representatives otherwise I would have greeted you sooner."

"We didn't know we would be coming." Gamma said tersely.

Uh oh. That wasn't a good sign. Tsuna's eyes slid past him to see Aria sitting with her legs crossed and hands folded neatly in her lap. She smiled warmly in greeting, "Hello, Tsunayoshi-kun." The Japanese suffix added to the Italian language was rather strange but Tsuna had gotten used to mixing his languages so it wasn't totally abnormal.

"Aria," Tsuna said, pleasantly surprised.

"You wouldn't mind if I borrowed your little Don for a moment, would you, Timoteo?" She asked pleasantly. "I would like to speak with him alone in regards to what I told you earlier."

Timoteo's eyes widened a fraction before put up a very calm and very forced smile. "Of course." He said, motioning for everyone to leave. Iemitsu's lips thinned and Gamma looked rather forlorn.

"Gamma," Aria said warningly. The blond's eyes narrowed but he followed Nosaru and Tazaru out. "You have to forgive him." She said quietly. "He is… unhappy with me."

"As he has every right to be." Tsuna said impassively. He had heard from Reborn that the Giglio Nero was being stretched at the seams. Having memories from an alternate timeline had strained Gamma's relationship with his boss and it was quickly becoming apparent that he didn't want to let her out of his sight. Aria was humoring his silent request but she knew it was only a matter of time before she succumbed to her illness as she had in the other timeline.

"Tsunayoshi…" Aria began.

"I already know what you're going to ask of me." Tsuna said, sighing. "And I can't say I'm all that surprised either. I mean… who else could?"

"I'm sorry…" She whispered. "If there was any other way…" She trailed off at Tsunayoshi's hard glare.

" _Don't_." Tsuna hissed. "Don't try and play the messiah complex with me. You are not a god. You are a human being and that gives you even less of a right to toy with the lives of those around you. You may be able to condemn the lives of the people you love but I am not so selfish." It was the one thing Tsuna could never understand about Yuni's sacrifice. She had the power to save the people she loved and yet she didn't. She had the control over them—they would have all happily betrayed Byakuran but she never gave them the permission and it had cost all of them their lives.

Tsuna hadn't wanted to protect Yuni if he was honest… he would have surrendered her to Byakuran at a second's notice had he known what kind of destruction she was leading them to… but… at the same time, Tsuna knew that had he been unable to trust anyone, he probably would have done the same thing.

But that was just it. He _could_ trust people and he knew he could—despite how long it took him to come to terms with such sentiments and what was more, he could not only trust them but he could _accept_ them as well. All he asked was total surrender in return and they all _gladly_ gave it… even Verde.

"No… you cling to them. You would sacrifice your entire being if it meant you could save them but you know that in order to help them, you have to live. I am not nearly so gifted with time." Aria said softly. Tsuna was not fooled. Weak as she may be, she was asking too much of him. "I beg of you," She said quietly, kneeling before him. "When I am due to die… please take on the role as the Sky Arcobaleno."

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	20. Chapter 20

**_Author's Note_** : I really should be doing homework... but since my natural response to stress (and since I have a lot of it these days) is to write, I suppose I can't really blame my brain for NOT LETTING ME SLEEP and forcing me to write this when I set my alarm for three in the morning (fucking daylight savings bullshit didn't turn the clock on my WIRELESSLY CONNECTED PHONE back) so I could get a week's work of homework done before my meeting today but noooo. My brain doesn't want to focus on Frankenstein study guides. It wants to write Arcobaleno angst!

And I have a meeting with my teacher in six hours... fuck you, homestudies. Fuck you real hard... and not in a good way.

On a side note, this chapter was increasingly difficult to write because for days, I didn't know how the hell I was going to start it and then WHAMO! I had a plot dream (something that's been happening more frequently as of late) and that gave me the inspiration I needed. Enough of my blabber. On with the story!

* * *

" _When I am due to die… please take on the role as the Sky Arcobaleno._ "

Tsuna knew what Aria was going to ask even before she asked it. Yuni's sacrifice was severe—to make sure Byakuran would not rise in power again, she had sacrificed her very existence and without her, the Trinisette would fall… whether or not the Vongola would remain after the fact was simply a matter of questioning how long Tsuna lived after the Rings were destroyed. But Tsuna wouldn't have any of it. If he hadn't seen the things he had, done the things he did, he would have accepted wholeheartedly because he would have thought that he was helping the Arcobaleno…

How foolish he had been.

"No." He said firmly. "If you give me the Arcobaleno pacifier, I will _destroy_ it." He hissed.

Pain became evident. "I am fully prepared for that." She said quietly.

Tsuna's eyes narrowed into slits. "You're willing to give me the lives of the Arcobaleno. Humor me. Why me?" Tsuna leaned into his right palm (the one that wasn't in the sling at least), his fingers drumming against his cheek impatiently. He wanted out of this stifling room. Aria's desperation was clinging to his skin, making him feel filthy for denying her but it was for the best. The Arcobaleno needed a Sky that would not abandon them. Taking the position as the Sky Arcobaleno would be Tsuna doing just that.

"Because all of the Arcobaleno trust you." Aria said, looking up at Tsuna but not leaving her position of pleading. Her eyes were glossed with tears that would never fall for the people she knew she was condemning by this seemingly harmless request.

Why was she kidding? Certainly not Tsuna.

"Because you were the one to stand up to Vendice and _live_ —because you single-handedly defeated Byakuran who was, at the time, the strongest person on that plane. Please, Tsunayoshi. I beg of you. Humor a dying woman's request. Take my place as the Sky Arcobaleno."

* * *

Reborn did not like the sight he was greeted with. "What's going on?"

"The Boss is talking to young Vongola." Gamma said tersely. It was clear he did not like this in the slightest. Hayato bristled.

"Probably to beg him to take the position of Sky Arcobaleno." Hayato said irritable.

Reborn felt his blood run cold. He jerked around when the door clicked and the air that made the room soundproof released. Tsuna walked out with an air of disinterest. "I have an announcement to make." Aria said. "Tsunayoshi here has agreed to take on the position as the new Sky Arcobaleno."

Reborn hadn't even felt it when he moved, pinning Tsuna to the wall by his throat, his murderous aura wrapping around him like a vice. " _Why?_ " The words could have been a scream for all he knew, with as far gone as he was. Tsuna looked up, his vividly expressive eyes showing, for once, the pain that Reborn's doubt was causing him.

"Trust me, Reborn." Tsuna said quietly. "That's all I have ever asked of you. I will not leave you. I swore to you and the other Arcobaleno that I wouldn't leave you and I won't but believe in me." He said, touching he hand that held his life. "I always keep my word." He finished. "Give me a chance to do it again."

* * *

"He's planning something." Was the first thing Colonnello said when the meeting had been assembled for barely even the second time that month.

"You think?" Verde said sarcastically.

Reborn was, for once, quiet. "What do you think of this, Reborn?" Viper asked. "With as familiar as you are, surely you feel something." The fact that his murderous aura had yet to retract added to that fact but no one commented on that.

"I don't know what to think." Reborn said with clipped tones.

"Oh come on, Reborn!" Colonnello slammed his fists down on the table. "You're his fucking lover, aren't you?" He demanded. "Surely you have _something_ —" Colonnello was cut off when the safety on his CZST clicked off.

"Next. Subject." Reborn said reminding everyone that he was, indeed, capable of murder in that second. Colonnello lowered his head in submission but didn't take his eyes off of the gun.

"Sawada's changed you." He stated, sitting back down and crossing his arms over his chest. He shifted his position a bit, crossing his knees. "He's brought forth that lurking demon inside of you and he's the only one who can tame it. With that in mind, Reborn, do you really think that he's going to give up his life so easily? He's got something planned. Is it so much to ask that we, for once, believe in him?" When Reborn didn't pull the trigger, Colonnello continued. "Has he failed us before?" He added.

"I agree." Fon said, leaning against his intertwined fingers. "Tsunayoshi is… unique. He is not the type to go at something half-cocked. That's not the Vongola way, after all. This… game that he is playing… the stakes are undoubtedly high but for Tsunayoshi to risk it all?" The martial artist smiled serenely. "The returns must be higher."

"Does that mean you're putting your faith in him?" Lal asked bemusedly.

"Aren't you?" Fon countered, stroking Lichi's cheek fondly.

"Hn. Of course." Lal smirked. "It's not like it's a difficult thing to do."

"Well this game had better have a good outcome lest I deem it uninteresting." Verde said, flicking his glasses up which caused the light to reflect off of his glasses ominously.

"Don't worry." Skull said, grinning lazily. "It will. It always does, doesn't it, sempai?" He looked back at the hitman who ticked and sheathed his weapon again. A feral grin overtook his lips and his eyes darkened a shade.

"But of course. _I_ trained him after all." Reborn practically _purred_. ' _But that doesn't mean he's going to get away without punishment._ '

"I've just got one question… kora." Colonnello said, looking at Reborn. "Are you going to accept Sawada's request? 'Cause I do _not_ want you as my boss."

"All the more reason to agree, don't you think?" Reborn asked innocently. Colonnello blinked once, then twice. Reborn silently counted down before—

"THE FUCK, KORA?!"

"Well." Verde said dryly as Colonnello lunged at Reborn who sidestepped the attack and slammed a ten-ton mallet down on his back. "I think this meeting is adjourned, don't you?"

* * *

Tsuna sighed, his fingers tracing over the page of the book he was reading. It was late—the mansion staff had already gone home for the night while the Guardians (both old and new) had retired to their respectable rooms/suites for the night but no matter what, Tsuna just couldn't sleep. He was too anxious. The Arcobaleno were in a meeting on the other side of town and Reborn wouldn't be back until morning. He was half tempted to crawl into Xanxus' bed but he belatedly remembered he hadn't told Xanxus about the sudden change, that he would tell him and the rest of the Varia in the morning.

Mentally checking off all of his Guardians—Mukuro and Kyoya had slunk off to a secluded part of the mansion to spar (or so they would lead everyone to believe), Hayato and Takeshi were sleeping together, Chrome and Ken were probably together which left poor Chikusa alone but with his insomnia, he wouldn't be much of a sleeping companion and while the Varia and Tsuna were on a mutual standing with one another, Tsuna didn't trust any of them enough to drop his guard completely… well, that wasn't entirely true. He trusted Squalo but the older man wasn't as attuned to his habits as Bel was and Bel was a bit of a pervert.

Yeah. He was alone tonight which was probably contributing to why he couldn't sleep. Grumbling to himself, Tsuna got up and took the sling off. He could do some exercises at least. When was the last time he took his pain relievers? He could try without them…

He swung his arms around, stretching them as he increased the blood flow. His nerve endings were sore but that was to be expected.

" _I thought the whole point of a down period was to rest._ " A smooth tenor said. Tsuna jumped, spinning so that his right arm was across his chest and his shoulder was in view.

"Don't do that!" Tsuna hissed at Primo who raised a slender brow in return. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." He added, flexing his fingers. He winced when the nerves strained.

" _It seems that the Vongola's Sin is still too feral for you._ " Primo commented, catching one of Tsuna's burned hands. Tsuna tensed under his touch, trying not to cry out. The Vongola's Sin was a secret weapon that allowed them to create barriers using their flames to temporarily slow down the vertical time-axis. It was very strong but very feral. Only Primo had ever been able to materialize _and_ control it. Tsuna had tapped into it in his desperation to protect his family, even if they hadn't realized it after the fact (because at this point, Tsuna was half certain they didn't remember what happened after the explosion had been detonated because no one called him on using such a dangerously unstable ability). Unfortunately, it caused severe nerve damage on top of the burns. Tsuna was lucky to have gotten off with less severe consequences. " _You need not put up walls around me, Decimo. I am as I am before you… please be as you are before me._ "

Tsuna sighed and slumped. "I forget sometimes, Primo. I'm sorry."

" _You needn't apologize, my son._ " Giotto put a hand on Tsuna's cheek and forced him to look up at him. " _Have you trouble sleeping tonight?_ "

Tsuna opened his mouth to deny it but a stern look reminded him that Giotto could tell when he was lying. Tsuna slumped. "It's mild insomnia." He said flippantly. He'd always had it, even when he was a child. It wasn't as bad as Chikusa's—who had often relied on Dextroamphetamine before Tsuna flushed his systems with milk thistle and started him on Melatonin and Valium, one a natural sleep inducer and the other a narcotic grade one for lesser use—but it was annoying nonetheless.

" _Have you checked your feelers?_ " Giotto asked in a subtle motion. Tsuna stiffened before relaxing slightly. No, he hadn't checked them but he would now.

Feelers were the waves that their Sky Flame naturally put out. It was what allowed them to sense the intentions of those around them. It was also the strand of Tsuna's Intuition that allowed him to merge his Synesthesia with it which, in turn, allowed him a higher predictability rate. Tsuna frowned as one of them vibrated causing his mind to buzz uncomfortably.

Someone wanted to cause him physical harm.

Tsuna rather violently started when there was a knock at the door. Giotto, who was usually so calm, bared his teeth in a silent snarl before he vanished from sight. Whoever it was, Giotto didn't trust them enough to show them his form… which was pretty much everybody. " _Don't think me so antisocial. I will appear more when your father is gone and the Ninth has retired._ " Giotto thought-spoke so only Tsuna could hear him.

Masking a snort, Tsuna spoke. "Enter," He said, smirking to himself. He sounded so boss-like when he said things like that. He felt a touch of amusement from Giotto, reminding him that while he may have had a visitor, he was by no means alone.

Could his visitor be the one that wanted to harm him?

"My baby boyy~!" Iemitsu bawled. Strike that last statement. Iemitsu wouldn't hurt him, regardless of how annoyed he was with Tsuna at the moment. Tsuna stepped under his diving hug and sighed.

"Go away, old man." Tsuna ignored the pained cry and turned to look out the window. "I'm not in a mood to play with you tonight." Not when he could be talking to Giotto instead. He respected Giotto more than he respected Iemitsu anyways. "I'm tired." That was a lie but the old man's intuition was diluted. He couldn't tell.

Something flared in the back of Tsuna's mind and he dove to the side and landed on the plush bed just in time for a bullet to collide with the side lamp sending them into darkness. Tsuna rolled, knowing that leaving his back open for attack was a very bad idea when an enemy was in his room.

Tsuna had managed to bring his leg between the other man's— _he was certain that he was a man now_ —and kick hard enough to jostle the heavier male. He felt something prick his thigh and horror dawned heavily in his mind as he realized what it was.

It was a Flame suppressant.

Tsuna thrashed—uselessly, he knew, because his physical strength was Flame induced and not that of his own but he had to do something, damn it—underneath the taller, heavier and obviously older man that had yet to be identified as his father. He didn't sense any Mist flames but at the same time, he didn't want to believe that the rift between him and Iemitsu had gone so far that his own blood would try and kill him. He felt his opponent simply drop his weight forward, the bulk of his torso pinning him against his mattress as the other hand removed the needle and clamped down over Tsuna's mouth before he could scream for help.

The drug had begun kicking in as his struggles began to die out. Tsuna tried to fight his hold, tried to kick against the man as his grip traded for his mouth to his throat but his limbs seemed so heavy. He tried to dig his nails in but his vision was quickly becoming black and his oxygen was quickly running out. His hands loosened as he tried one last time to struggle despite knowing it was futile.

But then, all at once, Tsuna became very aware of the way his door had been kicked open and the assailant had made a dive for the window.

Sounds flooded him all at once—the emergency alarm had been triggered by… something… by what, Tsuna wasn't sure, as it was on the other side of the room and Tsuna had been pinned against the bed but it _had_ been triggered. The unmistakable ringing was testament to that… that, and the way both Hayato and Takeshi were standing protectively around him with their weapons readied.

"Through the window," Tsuna gasped, his throat throbbing where the taller man had pressed down almost hard enough to break. It was almost as though he wanted to see Tsuna suffocate instead of snapping his neck.

How cruel.

Takeshi and Squalo— _when did he get here?_ —both took off, kicking off of the balcony to survey the scenes surrounding them. Tsuna wanted to call them back and warn them but his voice wouldn't work. His throat was too sore.

"Come here, darling." Lussuria said, pulling Tsuna closer and pressing against Tsuna's throat. A raspy cry passed from his lips as he tried to squirm away. Lussuria's lips curled with annoyance—not towards him, he realized belatedly, but towards his attacker. "Your larynx hasn't been damaged but there will be some soreness. Whoever it was must have been aiming to cut off your air supply instead of breaking your neck." Well no shit. He figured that out on his own. Tsuna opened his mouth to give a snappy reply but decided that it wasn't worth the effort.

"He can sleep with me." Xanxus said. "Not that any of us are going to be sleeping after this." He muttered under his breath.

"Damn straight." Hayato grouched. "I'll call Reborn. He'll want to know about this." Tsuna lurched, catching Hayato's arm before he could.

"Don't." Tsuna rasped. Hayato's eyes narrowed and Tsuna had to resist the urge to shrink back. He squared his shoulders. "Reborn has enough trouble. I'll tell him in the morning." Xanxus did not seem all that nullified.

"What happened?" Coyote and Nougat demanded.

"Intruder." Xanxus said. "The alarm was triggered—" His eyes widened fractionally before he continued as though nothing was wrong. "—and the two Rains went to investigate."

"Did you get a good look at your attacker?" Coyote asked.

Tsuna blinked dazedly. "No." Tsuna finally said after a moment. "Someone knocked at my door. I thought it was my father but the… intruder shot at me. I dodged but the bullet hit the lamp so I couldn't see anything." He would let them draw from that what they would. He had a vague idea how the panic button had been struck but the fact that his Ring had gone cold told him that it was better that they not know that little detail.

Xanxus, however, seemed to be connecting the dots.

"Nothing." Squalo said, landing on the balcony. Tsuna sighed. He figured that would be the case.

"Would you mind telling me how an intruder could escape the estate without raising any red flags?" Timoteo asked candidly. He wasn't fooling anyone.

"It could have been an illusionist." Chrome offered almost silently.

Tsuna's head pounded. "A damn good illusionist. I didn't sense any Mist Flames." Tsuna said through the haze that was coating his vision. What the hell else was in that drug?

"You're slurring." Lussuria commented. "Look up." He ordered. Tsuna complied and winced when the light caught his retinas in a way that was slightly painful to his already pounding head. "There must have been a mild sedative too. You wouldn't have sensed much of anything." Tsuna felt his lips twitch but didn't refute his judgment. "The only thing I can offer is advise—sleep off the drug but have someone you trust beside you."

Even drugged, Tsuna didn't miss the speculative glance Lussuria gave Xanxus. Tsuna snorted. "Real subtle." He commented, making sure to consciously enunciate his syllables. Xanxus rolled his eyes.

"Come on, mini-boss. Time for bed."

* * *

Tsuna blinked blearily. When had he changed rooms? It was a testament to how much that drug knocked him for a loop when he didn't even recall his own surroundings. Xanxus shifted in the moonlight—as it was the only light in the room. His eyes seem to glow eerily, the blue hues bringing out shades of silver in his crimson eyes. "I didn't hit the panic button." Tsuna said belatedly, his eyes glazed as he looked at Xanxus.

The assassin shifted, not responding but not quite keen on keeping still either. "Go to sleep, Tsunayoshi." Xanxus commanded softly, stroking his hair almost fondly.

"N-No…" Tsuna pushed the hand away. "Y-You know something… what happened?"

Xanxus sighed. "There was residual evidence pointing to three different suspects."

"Wh-Who?" Tsuna asked.

"Lal Mirch, who has a previously established alibi, an unidentified Mist user and myself." Xanxus scowled, scratching his neck almost nervously… if he was even capable of feeling nervous.

Tsuna laughed breathlessly. "That fucking bastard…" Tsuna whispered, tears creating trickles from his eyes. The drugs must have affected him more than he previously thought, to let his emotions flow so freely… or perhaps it was Giotto's interference that made the reality of the situation all that much more real. "Why does he always do this to me?"

Xanxus stiffened. "What… do you mean?"

" _Envy is not often that which distinguishes between blood ties and emotional ones. It destroys all in its path regardless._ " A smooth tenor said from behind Xanxus who had been hard pressed not to jump. " _He envies your blood, Tsunayoshi. There is naught which can change that._ "

"He shares my blood." Tsuna countered. "Which means he shares _your_ blood… doesn't it?"

Xanxus felt something wrench inside of him at the petulantly hopeful tone Tsunayoshi had adopted at the end of his statement. The Founder shook his head before reaching up to pet Tsuna's untamable hair. " _Although he shares my name, he does not share my blood._ " He finally said. " _Sawada Iemitsu was adopted by a woman named Marie who was of my blood. When he left, she later moved to Japan to have a daughter with a branch of my line. Your mother is what ties you to my direct line but it is your father that stabilizes your status as my successor._ "

"But he does have Vongola blood." Tsuna stated firmly.

" _Perhaps he is one of Secondo's cast offs. That man had enough affairs to satisfy even the horniest of dogs._ " Tsuna couldn't help it. He fell back with a laugh. Even Xanxus looked somewhat bemused.

"That's a unique way of looking at things." Tsuna mused.

"Doesn't make it any less true." Xanxus pointed out. "Even outsiders know of Secondo's rather… risqué activities."

" _Um, excuse me, but keeping a brothel underneath a mansion that is almost twice as old as he is crosses the lines of risqué don't you think?_ " Giotto said wryly. The resemblance to Tsuna was so strong that Xanxus had to blink not to confuse the two.

"You know, I dismissed that as fictitious slander…" Xanxus mused. "Knowing it's true is rather horrifying."

"Ah, the slander campaign. If you think that is interesting, you should hear some of the things they said about Primo." Tsuna mused.

" _If this has anything to do with the fact that half of my Guardians fondled me on a daily basis, remember this, Tsunayoshi. You are supposed to be my second coming and I guarantee you. It's genetic._ " Giotto smiled an all-too-pleasant smile making Tsuna whimper.

"That's not fair… I want my virtue intact." He whined.

Xanxus couldn't help it. He really couldn't, "Isn't it a bit late for that?" The combined flush he got from Tsunayoshi and paternal glare he got from Giotto was totally worth it the bruised rib he got after the fact.

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	21. Chapter 21

**_Author's Note_** : This chapter is short in comparison to all of the others because it is mostly intended a "filler" chapter until Tsuna says his goodbyes...

Only two chapters left~!

* * *

"What the _fuck_ do you mean you were attacked last night?"

Well… all things considered, Tsuna supposed that this reaction was better than what he was hoping for. Especially taking into account the fact that Reborn could have easily killed him after the meeting with Aria (which still grated against his nerves in a way that nothing else could because he got the feeling he was being suckered into doing something he, yet again, didn't want to do only this time, his words meant absolutely nothing) but the fact of the matter remained—he didn't and that meant that Reborn had _some_ faith in him.

…all of which may have been lost because he had told Hayato not to call him. He knew that _that_ wouldn't end well when the hitman finally decided to ask about it.

"Why the hell wasn't I called?" Reborn pressed.

Damn.

Tsuna leaned back in his chair and tapped his pencil against his graduation speech. He wanted to get at least the rough draft done before they got on the plane. He could tell that everyone else was excited for graduation too. Even he, who was usually so mild tempered after her training started, was fidgeting with excitement. "Because I knew that if you left suddenly in the middle of your meeting, the other Arcobaleno would as well." Tsuna said simply, turning back to his paper.

"Who attacked you?" Reborn asked.

"Supposedly?" Tsuna offered. "It was either Lal, who was down town with the other Arcobaleno at the time as they found traces of Mist residue that was gone when I looked his morning, an unidentified Mist user or Xanxus." Reborn snorted rudely. "My question to them—if Xanxus wanted to kill me, why didn't he kill me when we were still off the radar? Why go through the trouble of _protecting_ me when I reached a low point?" He wouldn't add that he had the vertigo drug in his system on top of his fatigue. Reborn didn't need to know the full story, regardless of how much he wanted to. It was his fault that Tsuna had been kidnapped and he was feeling guilty enough as it was. "They have circumstantial evidence at best."

"You sound like you already have some suspicions." Reborn commented.

Tsuna's eyes darkened. "Leave it be, Reborn." Tsuna said warningly. "I may have my suspicions—the motive is certainly there—but there is absolutely _no_ evidence pointing towards the one I believe it is." Because at this point, Tsuna's father was capable of anything. Tsuna looked at Xanxus who inclined his head slightly, as though he was agreeing with their unspoken exchange.

Good. He wouldn't say anything.

"From what Takeshi told me, it was impossible for you to have struck the panic button. That either means your assailant did or you weren't alone." Reborn said slowly.

"Reborn, I'm never alone." Tsuna said. If his left hand hadn't been occupied by the sling, he would have touched the Rings on his fingers. As it were, they twitched. "I was having one of my insomnia nights so Primo kept me company."

"I've got the freaking bruise to prove it too." Xanxus grumbled, rubbing his ribs and looking away.

" _Then you shouldn't have accosted successor._ " Giotto said casually from behind him, materializing from thin air. Xanxus tensed slightly, having been startled (not that he would have ever admitted that). His default appearance altered, going from strictly dressed to casuals in a matter of seconds. Instead of his usual black-pinstripe suit and mantle, he had on a long-sleeved white button up shirt with suspender straps and a pair of slacks. The longer part of his hair wasn't tied back like it usually was when he conducted business.

Tsuna huffed. He got called girly if he didn't clasp it back with something. Giotto shifted his stance and looked away to hide his amused smile.

After a few moments of silence, Tsuna set his pen down and stood up. "I'm going for a walk." He finally said. "I need to think."

" _I advise that you be careful, Tsunayoshi. Allowing your mind to wander may end with harsher consequences than if you don't think at all._ " Giotto said ominously.

"It's nothing like that, Primo." Tsuna began but then cut off deciding it wasn't worth it to try and justify his desire for peace. What, with what happened this past week… "Are you coming with me or are you going to stay here?"

Giotto tilted his head for a moment. " _I think I shall stay here. You are entitled to your moment of peace, after all._ " Reborn raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. Giotto never stayed behind. As though picking up on his line of thought, the founder shifted his stance and inclined his head slightly towards Reborn as though answering an unasked question. When Tsunayoshi left, Reborn snorted.

"Subtle," He commented.

" _I thought so._ " Giotto said with an amused smile. " _Considering subtlety was rendered useless with people like Knuckle and G._ "

"Does Tsunayoshi know that you're here to read us the riot act?" Xanxus asked almost absently. Giotto raised a slender brow and Xanxus snorted. "Please. I saw the way you hovered over him when he slept last night… not to mention the fact that you deliberately materialized long enough to press the emergency button to prevent him from falling to…" Xanxus paused, giving Reborn a significant look. "…that attack…" Giotto's eyes sharpened and Xanxus knew that the founder had caught his drift. "I knew it was only a matter of time."

Reborn gave him a very dangerous look that said they were going to have a long talk later. Xanxus mock saluted in return before returning his attention to Giotto. " _Since you already know what it is I have to say, I will make this brief._ " Giotto said with no small amount of bemusement. " _If you hurt him, I'll turn you over to Secondo. He's been itching for a plaything. This goes double for you, Arcobaleno._ "

"What? Why me?" Reborn didn't whine because whining was unprofessional… but he was startled.

" _He has known you longer therefore he trusts you more. Xanxus may have his submission but you hold his life._ " Giotto frowned just a bit. " _And with this new threat, perhaps it would be best if you stopped thinking about him as your boss and started allowing yourself to feel what it is you desire towards him._ "

Reborn knew what angle Giotto was coming from—his emotions could fuel his strength. His desire to protect Tsunayoshi would make him stronger… but what was this about a new threat? "Is Tsunayoshi in danger?"

" _Not immediately, no._ " Giotto allowed. " _But there is a reason the Sky Arcobaleno do not live for very long. Their shortened life-spans render them self-destructive. That combined with his already reckless nature will make him borderline suicidal. It is for that reason that I entrust his life—and sub-sequentially, his Guardians' lives—in your hands._ " Giotto reached out as though he wanted to touch Reborn but then retreated as he decided against it. " _Please protect my own._ "

Reborn felt himself responding to the desperation in Primo's voice in a way he wouldn't have normally allowed by taking the phantom's hands into his own and uttering the words as though they were a sacred vow, "With my life."

* * *

Seven days.

It had been seven days since he had argued with Reborn and left.

Strange it didn't seem like it… actually, it seemed like it had been so much _longer_ with all that had happened. He had been drugged, kidnapped, sold, drugged again, shipped off to Russia, reunited with Xanxus (whom he hadn't heard hide nor hair of since the Ring Conflicts) and ended up losing his backdoor virginity to him in some sort of drug-infused lust frenzy…

And then they had become lovers.

They had completely and utterly skipped all forms of _courting_ and had jumped all-cocked and ready to go into a three-way relationship… and there was absolutely no awkwardness.

But there would be, Tsunayoshi thought almost gloomily. After the Arcobaleno curse settled on his shoulders, Tsunayoshi knew that Reborn wouldn't be able to look at him the same. After he spent a year with his Guardians alone—because he still intended to do so regardless of all of the Arcobaleno's protests—Reborn would try to cling to him, try to smother him, but Tsunayoshi wouldn't, _couldn't_ , allow it.

He still had to work his plan, after all… and there was no denying that he _did_ have a plan. He'd had a plan ever since he had seen Yuni's demise at Byakuran's indirect hand. It had only been perfected as the time passed. The fissure of unease he had shown Aria had been his displeasure at her blatant manipulations coming into light, not because he wasn't completely confident that his plan would work.

" **Has your end of the bargain been fulfilled?** " An eerily smooth voice said.

Tsunayoshi didn't even bat a lash when an infant wrapped in bandages stepped out of a black shadow that appeared in mid-air.

"I am due to take the Arcobaleno curse in the aftermath of Aria's death. I shall proceed as requested from then on." Tsunayoshi said coolly.

" **Good. The Vendice have waited long enough for our chance at revenge… and you are the key to finalizing it, Sawada Tsunayoshi… no…** " Tsunayoshi's eyes narrowed, flashing orange as his Will flared out around him almost seductively. " **Vongola… Decimo.** "

* * *

" _Please, Tsunayoshi. I beg of you. Humor a dying woman's request. Take my place as the Sky Arcobaleno."_

_"Your death means nothing to me." Tsunayoshi snarled almost heartlessly. "You and your mother meddled with the lives of others and are receiving what you deserve. So what if the Arcobaleno system falls?"_

_"You don't understand…" Aria said quietly. "When I die, if my legacy remains so, the Arcobaleno will die as well._

_" **And we can't have that, now can we?** " Tsunayoshi's spine snapped straight and Aria whipped around to stare at the growing portal in fear._

_"Jager." Tsunayoshi inclined his head, masking unnerved disposition behind a mask of disinterested disdain. "To what do I owe the honor?"_

_" **You can hardly call this an honor, Vongola Decimo.** " A different voice said coolly. Tsunayoshi felt his Intuition flare loudly with warning. " **Considering you are now in our debt… and I have come to collect that debt.** "_

_Tsunayoshi's eyes narrowed. There was no way out of this. "What is it you want me to do?"_

_The infantile Vendice had the gall to laugh. " **You will be taking on the Arcobaleno curse… to help us exact our revenge against the very person who created the Arcobaleno system.** "_

**_**_Tsuzukeru._ ** _ **

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **

**_I have a poll posted on my profile along with a list of upcoming projects._** Feel free to check it out if you are interested. The poll will decide in what order I publish my upcoming projects, most of which have the first few chapters already done. _**It will be closed on New Years Eve.**_


	22. Chapter 22

**_Author's Note_** : This chapter was admittedly hard to write for multiple reasons and while I could cut it off here with little problem, I don't want to do that because there are still questions that need to be asked and answers that need to be given, some of which will be answered in the sequel _Darkest Edge_ which takes place four years after this. Don't worry though. I don't intend on leaving you hanging with the end of this. I intend on doing a Darkest Drabbles which will contain one-shots, deleted scenes (like what happened between the other members of the Family as this was mostly centered on Xanxus, Reborn and Tsuna near the end), maybe a few omakes and some things that happen between the two stories to make things flow better. Whether or not you choose to include it with the overall interpretation is up to you.

**_THIS IS THE LAST CHANCE TO VOTE IN MY POLL AS IT WILL BE CLOSING IN TWO DAYS!_ ** So for those who haven't voted, go vote now as that will establish what order my upcoming projects will be posted.

* * *

"So who do you think the culprit is?" Reborn asked quietly as he and Xanxus walked through the shadow-encased gardens. The only reason Reborn was awake right now and not fucking Tsunayoshi senseless in punishment for his recent actions (starting with agreeing to take the Arcobaleno curse and ending with not calling his tutor/External Adviser when his own blood attacked him with the desire to kill him) was because they would soon be boarding a plane where they would then venture back to Japan for Tsunayoshi's graduation night. "It has to be an inside job."

"The kid seems to think it too." Xanxus said with a scowl. After agreeing to keep Primo's request a secret, Xanxus thought long and hard about telling Reborn who they—they being Tsuna and Xanxus—thought the culprit was but recalling the desperation in Tsuna's eyes when he silently pleaded him to keep his mouth shut made Xanxus fall short.

Maybe at a later date, he conceded with his conscience.

Reborn sighed. "The evidence certainly insinuates that."

"The Echelon wants to pull my case again." Xanxus said with a groan in his voice. "I get the sneaking suspicion they want me dead because of my loyalty—be it forced or genuine—to the new Don. They don't approve of his methods."

"But you do." Reborn mused teasingly.

"Damn right I do." Xanxus snapped. "I despise those fuckers. The Mafia wasn't supposed to be this way. It was _supposed_ to be an honorable means to making quick cash."

"Ah, the roaring twenties and thirties… Bonny and Clyde, Don Al Capone and his _caporégime_ … not to mention it was still Ottavo's time of reign. Now _that_ was a good time." Reborn smirked. "Not too many follow the old ways anymore."

"Tch. I do… and so does the rest of the Varia." His scowl lightened up a bit. "And so does Tsunayoshi."

"He is sadly misplaced in his times." Reborn agreed. "You and he would have liked that era. It was so easy to strike it rich and never get caught. America was the place to live for Mafiosi in that era. Everyone focused on the public enemies and the moonshiners that the white collar criminals got off scot free in the long run."

Silence descended upon the two dominants in the relationship but it was a comfortable silence. Xanxus inclined his head slightly, looking back at the estate where Tsuna's room was. The teen was standing on the balcony with an enticing look in his face as he gazed at the sky. He saw him stiffen and then look down.

Reborn's grin was absolutely demonic as he leaned down and _purred_ against Xanxus' neck. "If we head there now, we just might have enough time to help him _pack_." He relished in the shudder that rolled through the younger teen. Xanxus' eyes flared with the challenge Reborn had just procured but his grin was nothing short of predatory.

"It's like you read my mind."

* * *

Tsuna pushed the last of his clothes into the duffle bag and sighed contentedly. He walked out on the balcony and looked up at the bejeweled night sky with a sense of completion that always accompanied him after one of his trips. In just a few hours, he would be on a flight back home, preparing himself for graduation. It was a warm thought that made something that had been rendered dormant stir in him once again.

Feeling a heated gaze on him, Tsuna looked down and gazed back at Xanxus who was looking at him with glazed eyes down below. Tsuna smiled a bit—Reborn and Xanxus must be talking about his attack. He was confident that Xanxus and Reborn wouldn't be talking about work, or the knowledge that one had but the other didn't, any time soon (though there was a part of him that shuddered with no small amount of fear when that time eventually _did_ come around. He'd be screwed six ways to Sunday when that happened). His smile, however, quickly faltered when he saw Reborn lean down and nuzzle the older Sky's throat in a way that was far too intimate to just be Reborn sharing a secret… no, the two assassins were plotting something and that thought made something hot coil at the base of his belly but at the same time sent him diving for the door.

He should have known those damn assassins would cheat. Reborn never played fair, after all, and from what he'd learned about Xanxus this past week, he didn't either.

Barely ten seconds after the doors were closed, the double door to his balcony opened almost ominously while the door that led in from the hallway mirrored it. Tsuna swiveled his head back and forth to look at both of them before his stance loosened and he sighed. "You're both cheaters." He finally said.

Xanxus snickered from the left—the direction of the hallway—as he closed the door and locked it. "Complaining?" He asked.

"No." Tsuna conceded. "But I hope you realize that I won't be there to referee your power play every time." He felt a scarf being tied over his eyes. He wanted to sigh but restrained himself. Reborn was being downright cruel to hide such perfect bodies from his line of sight.

"I'm sure we'll manage." Reborn said, a hand jerking Tsuna's hips back. "For now, you're on the receiving end." Reborn said using his knee to part Tsuna's legs. Tsuna's hips rocked back creating dry friction against him. He gasped as the heat turned into a full blown arousal. Reborn reached up and undid the buttons to his shirt while Xanxus took to cupping his ass. Tsuna caught Xanxus' bicep and tried to regain his regular breathing pattern.

Well… they couldn't have any of that, now could they?

Xanxus allowed his Will to contract seductively which drew a hiss from Tsuna and a groan from Reborn. The older Sky smirked against Tsuna's throat. This time was different from the last. Last time, it had been no inhibitions, no restraints. It had been purely animalistic lust. This time, however, Xanxus and Tsunayoshi were both in complete control of their Wills and Reborn was the odd one out. While Tsuna would be the one physically receiving, Reborn would be the middle-man on the untouchable level.

Not that Reborn was going to complain.

There was another hiss from Tsuna when Reborn reached up to tease the boy's sensitive nerve endings. He pinched and twisted causing Tsuna to squirm against his thigh. Tsuna found himself cursing his shorter legs because there was no way to alleviate the pressure. "R-Reborn!" He complained. "I'm g-going to…"

"So?" Reborn asked huskily. "What's the problem?"

' _You know what the problem is!_ ' He thought, his Will flexing with aroused annoyance. Reborn gave a half-laugh ' _hn_ ' sort of sound before he swiftly removed his leg and caused Tsuna to fall against Xanxus, who caught him and twisted their position easily enough. Xanxus felt his lips twitch at the implications behind the gesture but didn't complain as he put his hand down the front of Tsuna's pants, drawing a moan from the teen.

Reborn leaned down and kissed Tsuna, swallowing any complaints the boy may have had from that point on. Xanxus felt Tsuna shudder with the first signs of climax and he quickly pulled away drawing a sound of complaint from the younger teen.

"Don-Don't tease me…" Tsuna begged, breaking away from Reborn to plead. "Need… need you. Both of you."

"Patience." Reborn said with a smirk that was mirrored by Xanxus.

"Unngh…" Tsuna's legs shook under is weight. He needed release. He needed it now. He needed… he needed both of them inside of him and they weren't complying. His Will shuddered with desperation, with need, as Reborn and Xanxus took their time in stripping him and themselves down to their bare skin. Even in darkness, Tsuna could imagine every ridge, nook and cranny on their bodies. It made his already painful erection throb even more.

He felt himself being jerked forward and he threw his hands out to catch himself on whatever it was he was going to fall on—a mattress, as luck (if luck had anything to do with it) would have it. He felt a dip on either side and he groaned. "Cruel," He complained.

"Well that's what you get." Reborn said with a low and dangerous growl. Tsuna felt the sinking sense of dread. Had Reborn told Xanxus? Or would he leave Xanxus to believe that this was on a completely unrelated matter? He felt Xanxus' Will contract against his in a manner that was supposed to be comforting but it only made him feel guilty for more reasons than the obvious.

He supposed that meant he deserved what he got.

"Now, now, hitman," Xanxus said in a tone that was more devious than innocent. "I'm sure Tsunayoshi is very sorry for what he's done." There was a sound of rustling cloth before he heard the sounds of a zipper. He swore he could feel the demonic grin that overtook his former-tutor's features.

"I don't suppose it's not too late to ask for mercy…?" Tsuna said meekly, resisting the urge to pry the scarf off of his face to see what the hell it was they were plotting.

"Hm, let me think…" Reborn paused. "Nope." And then something impaled him. Tsuna arched at the feeling. He had been completely unprepared for the move and it took him a moment to adjust. He knew it wasn't anything fleshy so that meant…

"Wh-What th-the hell?" Tsuna twisted, trying to reach for the object but someone caught his hands and pinned them against his back.

"Hn." Reborn was grinning. He had to be. Xanxus was quiet but he could sense through his Will that the younger of the two assassins was pleased with himself. "You win this round, Xanxus. Don't expect to win the next."

"Oh don't worry. I plan to." Win that is.

Xanxus' Will throbbed again and Tsuna felt the device that was being held inside of him turn on. He then felt something that was similar to leather or maybe rope slipping over his legs and fastening to the device currently rubbing against that bundle of nerves tortuously and what was worse, he now had no release because there was something blocking the flow. He wanted to cry out with how unfair it was.

The device turned up and Tsuna arched back with a cry. He felt someone else's lips cover his own, swallowing his moans and screams with ease.

Damn sadists.

Xanxus watched as Tsuna writhed and twisted on the bed. Whatever he did must have been bad for Reborn to agree to use the toys he had recently purchased. The poor Don wouldn't be able to sit still on his flight.

That was alright though. Xanxus would have some nice memories to hold him over until they met again.

Reborn pulled away from their kiss and sighed with mock-regret. "You've been such a bad student as of late. I think I need to take up being your tutor again, don't you agree?"

"P-please! L-Let me…" Tsuna wanted to cling to Reborn, to show him that Tsuna belonged to him and Xanxus alone but he couldn't. His hands were still pinned, his sight blocked and his ass penetrated by a toy that wouldn't stop stimulating him. He needed release. "N-Need you…" Tsuna tried instead. He couldn't get himself to be released but he could at least try this instead.

He could hear Reborn growl. He could feel Xanxus' need. It set every nerve ending aflame. Tsuna felt his nails biting into his palms while Reborn released him. He knew better than to reach for the device so instead he pushed himself up so he was kneeling somewhat. He felt someone press against his lips and he opened his mouth willingly enough. The fiery taste told him it was Xanxus.

And when Reborn's hand roamed down his hips, Tsuna could only moan to show his approval.

* * *

While the sights and sounds in Italy were beautiful beyond compare, Kyoko wasn't having all that much of a good time. Lussuria was hospitable, of course, and Haru was beginning to speak to her again but the Guardians, including her brother, were still edgy around her. "What's the matter, deary?" Lussuria asked.

Any other time, Kyoko would have been leery of the very gay assassin but at the moment, he was proving to be the girlfriend that Kyoko had lost. "I still love him." She said quietly.

"And you've already told him this?" Lussuria asked.

"Yes."

Lussuria drummed his manicured fingers against the table. "The way I see it, the little Don is wary of relationships right now… why don't you go talk to him? But leave the relationship stuff out of it. Spend some time with him, help him pack. Keep him company until your flight leaves and then on the flight, talk to him about small trivial things that mean absolutely nothing. The best way to rebuild a relationship is to talk your way through it. Start as friends again and work your way up. Remind him why he fell for you in the first place."

Kyoko looked down at her hands and then her eyes flared with determination. "Will that really work?" She asked slowly.

"If it doesn't, at least you can say you tried." Lussuria offered.

"Okay…" She nodded. "I'll do… that." She stood up and hesitated at the door. "And Luss-chan?"

"Hmmm~?"

She smiled. "Thank you."

Lussuria started for just a moment before a dark grin filtered over his lips. When the door closed, he sighed. "Surely she realizes that Tsunayoshi is nowhere near as forgiving as he would have been before?" Lussuria paused. "Oh well." He shrugged. It was no problem of his, after all.

* * *

Kyoko stood outside of the door, a hand poised to knock when a soft sound made her pause. " _Unngh…_ " She jerked, her eyes widening. She'd heard that sound before—often coming from her own mouth when Tsuna drove against that spot that had her seeing stars. " _Need… need you…_ " He said something else but it was drowned out by the blood rushing in her ears.

Was this why Tsuna denied her? Was it because he was fucking someone else?

How could he?

How could he do this to her?

Kyoko stepped forward and pressed her ear against the door just as Tsuna cried out again, his sweet voice sending a flash of heat straight to her clit. She squeezed her legs together to prevent her arousal from becoming too severe but she couldn't stop herself. She could imagine Tsuna laying in bed with his face flushed, legs pushed up and someone thrusting repeatedly. She put a hand to her mouth to prevent any gasps from escaping her lips.

There was another moan—it could have been a name but she couldn't make it out… and as she stood there, listening to the filthy sounds Tsunayoshi made, all she could do was wait and wonder… who was it?

Who was it that stole her Tsunayoshi away from her?

* * *

In the afterglow of some very hot and dirty sex, Tsuna found that saying goodbye was easier than it would have been otherwise and apparently, he hadn't been the only one having a bit of fun. Hayato and Takeshi were both ruffled up in ways that only Tsuna would notice. Mukuro was standing beside Chrome, Ken and Chikusa with an air of confidence that only he could master. "I hope you haven't been antagonizing Kyoya too much in my absence." Tsuna commented as he joined them on the landing pad. They would be taking the Ninth's private plane, _Phoenix_ , back to Japan.

"Of course not." Mukuro purred. Kyoya's eyes narrowed and he looked away with an uncharacteristically sulky huff. Takeshi, Hayato and Tsuna laughed while Reborn smirked to show his amusement.

"Quiet, herbivores, or I'll bite you all to death." Kyoya growled, raising his tonfas.

"Don't show those off at customs back home." Takeshi said lazily. "It'll take forever to get that mess straightened out.

"Agreed," Tsuna said with a smile. He looked back at the Varia. "Xanxus,"

Xanxus smirked, "Don't act like we won't see each other again." He said with a teasing undertone. "Because unless you have the intention to go and get yourself killed, it's a damned sure thing that we will."

Tsuna snorted. "You suck at goodbyes."

"Damn straight," Squalo muttered under his breath which earned him a Flame-infused cartridge aimed for his forbidden zone. "Voiii! The fuck was that for?!"

Tsuna laughed. "For antagonizing your boss, I'd imagine."

"Order him to stop. You outrank him." Squalo complained.

Tsuna looked at Xanxus who glared at him, as though daring him to try. Tsuna patted Squalo's arm consolingly. "Your faith in my power is astounding but somehow, I don't think he'd listen to me." Squalo made a sound almost like a dying animal before Tsuna rejoined his group. ' _But he's right._ ' Tsuna thought, looking back at Xanxus before the doors closed. ' _We'll meet again… and when we do, I'll be all his. Nothing will come between the three of us then. I'll make sure of it._ '

**_Tsuzukeru._ **

* * *

**_Thanks for reading~!_ **


	23. Chapter 23

**_Author's Note_** : The final chapter! It's more of an epilogue than a chapter but it was still a bitch and a half to get out. Thank you to all of my readers that have stuck with this story until the end! Be sure to keep an eye out for the sequel.

* * *

"Are you ready to go?" Reborn asked, dressed as strictly as ever with his Armani suit and fedora.

Tsuna smiled sadly, "As ready as I'll ever be." Tonight would be the end of it all.

The flight back had been tense for multiple reasons but the first and foremost had been because everyone—save for those who had already graduated—was nervous about their graduation. As it was, Tsuna had to skip out on lunch and dinner because of how nervous he was. He closed his eyes and counted his heartbeats until they slowed down. It was a meditation trick Takeshi had taught him and it worked, believe it or not.

Reborn eyed him critically. "I'll give you a few minutes to compose yourself." Obviously, Reborn was not fooled by his façade of composure. Tsuna sighed and turned back to the mirror. He scanned his childhood room for the last time before lowering his head and closing his eyes.

Tonight was the last night he would spend in Namimori.

His plans had been altered a bit because of the deal with Vendice (that he still hadn't told anyone about) and taking the Arcobaleno curse but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. After their combined graduation party at Takesushi, they would all be boarding a plane for the second time in seventy two hours that would take the eight of them to Monte Carlo where they would study under some prestigious tutors for their specified subjects for a private degree before being shipped off to Italy to continue their studies in semi-isolation (and the only reason Tsuna said semi-isolation was because the Arcobaleno would be living with them by then as well and when you lived in a house that big with that many people, isolation wasn't a term that would relate very well). Tsuna would use that time to bind his chosen Elements to him through Will and Flame (which was best done through intercourse if his research on the matter correct).

He'd thought long and hard on the matter in regards to the Arcobaleno and decided that if they came to him (because he wouldn't make an effort to hide what he was doing and Reborn already knew about it) then he would oblige them but only if they came to him on the matter.

When Tsuna's breathing was restored to normal, he opened his eyes and looked in the mirror once again. He'd adjusted his graduation robes one last time and turning to leave the room. He'd gotten as far as putting his hand on the door before his body jerked and all of the air left his lungs as though someone had just punched him right in the diaphragm.

His blood turned to ice in his veins as the weight of his Flame suddenly felt so much heavier than ever before in that moment. It took him a long moment to regain his breathing and an even longer moment to realize that there was a light weight pressing against his chest. With a growing sense of dread, he looked down and had to fight the urge to laugh hysterically at the glowing orb that was fastened to his neck by a black ribbon.

The Arcobaleno pacifier.

Bermuda's words echoed in the thralls of his already chaotic mind, creating a savaging tsunami where a typhoon was already brewing. " ** _You will be taking on the Arcobaleno curse… to help us exact our revenge against the very person who created the Arcobaleno system._** "

At that memory, Tsuna really did laugh hysterically… but there was nothing he could do but seal the pacifier and hide it. That would buy him a few years but he would wait to tell the Arcobaleno until he activated its power and fully accepted the brunt of the curse. The first time he channeled his Flames into the trinket, the curse would activate and he would have to work fast from that point on and there was no telling how soon he would need the power boost that it would give him.

He had to be careful, though. If he activated it too soon, he'd by signing his death warrant. If he activated it too late, whatever plan Bermuda had would fall through the cracks. He was ultimately relying on someone who didn't like him very much to keep him alive… not to mention he was pretty sure that Bermuda wanted him dead for blackmailing them.

Taking a breath to steady his nerves once again, Tsuna stood up and grabbed the last of the Mammon Chains and wrapped them around the pacifier. It flickered twice before dimming to a river-stone grey. Tsuna clutched the ice cold object in a death grip as he crammed it into his pocket.

And, for the first time in a long time, prayed to whatever god or deity that would listen. ' _Please let me live through this… because there are too many lives tied to mine for me to simply give up living anymore._ '

' _Please… let me keep them safe._ '

**_Owari._ **

* * *

**_And that is the end!_ **

And now for the poll results:

Darkest Edge - 15  
Genetic Rendering - 12  
Gathering the Strongest Seven - 11  
Hot and Bothered - 9  
The Lies We Tell Make the World a Better Place - 6  
Love this Darkness - 6  
Tremors - 4  
Blood Runs Deep - 3

This will now help me establish a some sort of order to finish my stories in as all of them are ideas I've had for a while but never really got around to writing.


End file.
